Shadow Follows Light
by BlueSteelLove1207
Summary: SEQUEL TO DARKNESS OVERPOWERS US! Dean and Sam are trying to build a normal home for Nathan and Noah, but what will happen when an old enemy decides to enter their lives again? Will it shatter their new family? Warning...child abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**So, here it is…the sequel to DARKNESS OVERPOWERS US!!! Yay! I hope you guys enjoy it. I'm really excited about this story… Warning: child abuse… and unfortunately I do not own the boys AKA Supernatural or the Winchesters, but I do own Nathan and Noah ****J. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1**

It was a dreary day, the wind was whipping through the trees that lined both sides of the road and created a howling noise, greatly increasing the eeriness of the early morning hour. It was the day the Winchesters were going to move into their new house. Nathan and Noah were now officially Winchesters thanks to a very talented man in the forgery business. The man was able to make identical replicas of birth certificates that stated that Nathan and Noah were both Dean's children. Dean looked over at the two boys who were quietly sitting in the backseat of the car, Noah was leaning against Nathan's side, his eyes were closed as he tried to get a few more minutes of sleep before unpacking began.

Dean was impressed with the progress both boys were making. It had been a month since Matt had left, and all the physical wounds were healed, but Dean was positive the mental and emotional wounds would always be present. The boys seemed almost completely relaxed around the Winchesters, Noah was actually a very loud and rambunctious little boy, while Nathan was definitely the quiet, more reserved brother, still very overprotective of Noah. Unfortunately, whenever a stranger would come too near, they still tensed up, Noah usually grabbing hold of his brother for dear life, look down at the ground, and remain completely silent. Neither boys had revealed much about the life they lived with Matt, but Dean was sure they wouldn't be able to hold it in for much longer, especially if they were attempting to live a "normal" life; Nathan in particular still seemed very affected by the abuse he suffered from his father.

Dean stopped worrying about the future as he gently coaxed the Impala into the driveway that led to the older house. Dean turned off the ignition and got to help Bobby park the pickup that was filled with newly purchased furniture and home supplies. Sam, Nathan, and Noah exited the car and stood in the front yard looking up at the house. None of the Winchesters had lived in one house for an extended period of time; it was strange to think that this house is where they'd be living for years to come.

"So, what do you think?" Dean place a hand on both of the boys' shoulder and took a look at the house. It was located at the very end of dead end, dilapidated street. The house itself was in decent shape. It had a rugged feel to it; a smaller white farmhouse complete with a wrap-around wooden porch and brick chimney. The back yard was big and spacious, exactly how the Winchesters liked it: lot's of privacy. A small shed was in the backyard and their was an acre of yard surrounded by dense forestry.

"So, tell me again how you boys were able to buy this?"

"Two words, Bela Talbot," Dean said.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Bobby asked coming to stand next to Sam.

"Well, remember that time when Bela stole the rabbit's foot from Dad's storage space?"

"Yeah…" Anything to do with Bela Talbot couldn't be good.

"She gave us an idea," Sam simply said. Bobby gave Sam a confused look, wishing the boy would just get to the point and explain the fortune that had mysteriously appeared in the Winchesters' possession.

"Bela mentioned that we could sell any of the supernatural artifacts Dad was keeping in that storage space for millions of dollars."

"Please tell me you didn't," Bobby stared at Dean.

"Don't look at me like that. This was easier than hustling pool and defiantly more legal than credit card scams. We can't afford to be on the wanted list now, can we?" He looked down at Nathan and Noah when he said this, Noah giving him a small smile.

"What did you sell?"

"Just a little amulet, and look at what it got us. Man, we should've done this years ago."

Bobby sighed, "Well, let's go see the inside."

Sam led the way, Bobby followed, and Dean and the boys brought up the rear. Dean put a hand on Nathan's shoulder and drew him close, "How you doing kid? Are you still feeling okay about all this?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I like the house," Nathan glanced up at the farmhouse.

"Good, I'm glad. How about you kiddo?" Dean looked down at Noah who was holding his brother's hand. He eagerly shook his head in response, and Dean laughed at the ecstatic expression on the young boy's face.

Dean and the boys caught up with Sam and Bobby who were standing in the entryway of the house. When they were all inside, Sam started leading through all the rooms giving an amateur tour of the home.

Nathan and Noah were staring in awe at their new home. Never before had they felt at home, let alone safe at any of the run-down motels or rental houses they stayed in while their father hunted. The rooms were all spacious with hardwood floors. It was a perfect home for a family of four. Sam led them through the living room, kitchen, dining room, and office, then made his way up the stairs.

"There's four bedrooms so you can both have your own room," Sam directed at the boys when the made it to the second floor.

"What?" Nathan asked in a surprised voice.

"I don't want my own room," Noah tightly hugged his brother, tears falling down his face. "No, I want to sleep with Nathan. I don't wanna sleep by myself." Nathan bent down and allowed Noah to wrap his arms around his neck. Nathan pulled his brother into a hug and tried to get him to calm down.

"Hey, you can still sleep with Nathan if you want to. That's fine," Dean bent down and rubbed circles on Noah's back. "Look at me kiddo," Noah turned his head to look at Dean, but kept his head resting in the crook of Nathan's neck, "We just thought you'd like a room of your own, but if you want to sleep with your brother still that's absolutely fine, as long as it's okay with your Nathan."

"Of course it's okay," Nathan whispered to his brother.

"Okay? Don't worry about anything, just tell us if something's wrong." Noah shook his head, but didn't release his hold on his big brother.

You okay now?" Dean asked.

"Yeah."

"Ready to look at the rest of the house and pick your rooms?" Dean saw the boys shake their heads, "Good."

Noah's and Nathan's bedrooms were right next to each other, connected by a bathroom, while Dean's and Sam's bedrooms were also connected by a bathroom. Dean, being the overprotective man that he was made sure to get the bedroom between his brother and his new sons' rooms; was that what they were to him now? Dean didn't know what to call them for sure. Sam looked out the window and noticed the dark gray clouds that cast shadows on the deserted street.

"Looks like we picked an awesome day to move in," Sam motioned to the clouds, "We better get all the furniture in before it starts pouring. We can get the rest of the stuff tomorrow."

It was already beginning to drizzle when they got outside. Dean could hear the light tapping as the raindrops hit the canvas that Bobby had draped over the furniture in the pickup truck.

"Let's just get this stuff unloaded and we'll put it away when we're done." Dean hurriedly pulled the tarp off of the bed of the truck and began helping Bobby and Sam unload some of the heavier items.

"Hey, Nate," Dean called down to the teen when the boy didn't reach up to grab the lamp Dean held out. Nathan quickly looked up at Dean, breaking out of his stupor, when he heard his name being called. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Nathan tried to stop Dean from looking, but the older man got a glimpse of the teenage girl hooking her gray and white English Sheepdog on a leash before going back inside her house that was located directly across from the Winchesters' house

"You should go say hi," Dean smirked at the boy who was clearly embarrassed and uncomfortable, "she's pretty cute and she looks about your age."

"No," Nathan muttered before taking the lamp from Dean's grasp and following Sam and Bobby into the house. Dean chuckled at Nathan's response.

Dean handed Noah two sofa cushions before jumping out of the now empty truck and grabbing the last item, a wooden side table, and began leading the way back to the house; just in time too because the rain was beginning to really pick up.

"Can we get a dog?" Noah's muffled voice asked Dean. Dean chuckled when he saw the nine year old hidden behind the stack of cushions; all Dean could see was the boy's eyes and a mop of sandy brown hair.

"We'll just have to see about that, but a dog would be sweet. What kind would you want?" Dean held the front door open for Noah. Dean had always wanted a dog when he was a kid, but their constant moving made that impossible.

"I dunno, maybe one of Rumsfield's puppies. Do you think Bobby'd give us one?"

"You'll just have to ask him, but I'm sure he'd be willing to let one go."

"Cool," Noah stepped into the house and threw the cushions on the ground and immediately set off in search of Bobby. Not knowing where he was Noah yelled out, "Bobby!" turned the corner and ran straight into the older man.

"Hmph," Bobby quickly caught the small boy before he fell over. "What's up, kiddo?"

"Can we have one of Rumsfield's puppies?" Noah asked with eager eyes.

"Sure you can. Once they're old enough though; they're still too young to be separated from their mom."

"Really?" Noah was shocked Bobby had said yes. "Nathan!" he ran off searching for his older brother to tell him the good news. "We're getting a puppy!"

Sam heard Noah's yelling and looked at Dean in surprise.

"Don't look at me," Dean joked and left to go start putting furniture away.

* * *

Later that night, most of the furniture had been put in its rightful spot and the Winchesters were all sitting on the couch after eating their fill of pizza. Sam and Dean had been telling stories about their childhood, trying to see who could beat the other on the embarrassment scale. Noah had fallen asleep at some point, his feet hanging over the arm of the couch and his head in Nathan's lap, exhausted from the busy day. Nathan was also tired, his head leaning against Dean's shoulder. Nathan was amazed at how quickly he trusted Dean; he just honestly believed the man wouldn't hurt them. Dean acted like the father Nathan always wanted, the father Matt was before his mother died and he learned to hate his two sons.

Sam broke the silence by looking over at Nathan and saying, "We should probably enroll you two in school tomorrow. The new school year starts in a week."

"What?" Nathan looked over at Sam with a nervous eyes.

"School. Your dad always enrolled you guys in school right?"

"Yeah, he did." Nathan set his head back down on Dean's arm.

"Everything okay kiddo?" Dean looked down at him with a concerned expression, Sam was also staring at Nathan wondering why he looked so anxious about attending school.

Nathan just nodded his head and looked down at his brother. He really hated school; he didn't know what he was thinking, but he was hoping the Dean and Sam weren't going to make Noah and him go to school. Dean and Sam just looked at each other wondering once again what had happened in Nathan's life to cause him to hate school so much. It seemed like no matter how hard they tried to be normal, their pasts were always following them like a shadow.

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**Hope you guys are liking the sequel! I'm so excited to finally be writing this. PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Hopefully, I'll have another chapter up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry it took so long. Here's the second chapter! Please go along with all of the school stuff, I have absolutely no idea when it comes to the "official documentation". _____________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 2

**Nathan woke up, not wanting to get out of bed and make his way downstairs. Today they were going to the local elementary and high school to enroll in classes. He felt anxiousness in the pit of his stomach when he thought of going back to school. The only good thing about going to school was to spend a few hours away from their abusive father. Other than that, school was a living hell. Hearing his brother begin to stir, Nathan ending his musings and turned over in bed to face Noah. **

"**Hey, buddy," Nathan smiled as Noah buried his head in Nathan's chest. **

"**Mornin'," he clung even tighter to Nathan's shirt. **

"**You okay, Noah?" Nathan pressed his cheek against Noah's curls and wondered what was bothering the kid so much.**

"**I don't wanna go to school. Can't we just stay here with Sam and Dean, please," Noah begged. **

**Nathan sighed before answering his brother; he couldn't lie to his brother, but there was no way Sam and Dean were going to let them just not go to school; especially Sam who Nathan had learned went to Stanford. "Noah, I really don't think we're gonna be able to stay at home all the time," he smoothed down Noah's hair, "we're just going to have to deal with it okay? I'm sure it'll be better now." **

**Noah just shrugged his shoulders. Nathan knew Noah wasn't going to believe him, he barely believed himself. And Noah knew Nathan in and out; there was no way the kid believed the bull his brother was spewing out. **

"**Let's go get some breakfast," Nathan lifted Noah off the bed and straightened his brother's shirt and ruffled his hair before leading them to the stairs. **

**When the boys entered the kitchen they saw Sam sitting at the table typing away on his computer while Dean was cooking bacon at the stove. Both men looked up when the two boys entered the room. Sam and Dean noticed the look on both the boys faces as they sat down at the table without saying a word. Dean took the pan of the fire and walked over to the boys, sitting down at the table next to Nathan. **

"**What's wrong?" **

"**Nothing's wrong," Nathan said without looking at Dean. **

**Dean took a breath before starting again, "Nathan, look at me; I promise you won't get in trouble." Nathan took a breath, slowly lifted his head, and looked straight in Dean's eyes, "Just tell me what's wrong."**

**Nathan chewed his bottom lip before saying, "Noah and I don't want to go to school. We hate it." Nathan decided to just get it out of the way all at once. Dean looked over at Sam wondering how they were going to fix this one. I guess this is what it feels like to have kids. **

"**I hated it too, but you have to go. Why do you hate it so much?" Nathan just shrugged his shoulders and Noah picked at a spot on the table, trying to act like he wasn't there. **

"**Do you guys have a hard time in school? Are you worried about making friends?" Again, Nathan said nothing. **

"**You're going to have to talk about this to us before we go," Dean looked over at Noah and sighed hoping they'd say something. **

"**What are we supposed to tell everyone about our family. I mean it took us a while to trust you let alone a bunch of hormonal teenagers, and I've never done well in school. And I hate it," Nathan quickly looked down after saying all this. **

"**Well, Sammy can help you with your schoolwork if you're having problems, and you're a hormonal teenager too, don't forget that. You're just going to have to take it nice and easy and be yourself. If it gets too bad, we'll figure something out." **

"**Well, what about our 'situation'?" Nathan quietly asked.**

"**Sam and I talked about this, we got it covered; we're going to say that there was a house fire and all your school records and everything were destroyed. You're mother died when Noah was born, and you're Uncle Sam decided to stay and help me raise you because our jobs forced us to travel around a lot. That sound good?" Nathan nodded in response. **

"**Do we have to call you 'dad' and Sam 'uncle'?" Noah questioned, finally looking up from the table. Nathan looked over at his brother in shock. He never even thought about calling Sam and Dean that, but it would be nice to have a real father again. **

"**You probably should in public just so people don't get suspicious, but other than that, you don't have to call us that unless you want to." There were a few minutes of awkward silence after Dean said this, until Noah decided to ask another question. **

"**Do you want to be our dad?" Nathan, Noah, and Sam all looked at Dean unable to read the reaction on his face and unable to determine what his answer was going to be. **

"**I would love to be your dad," Dean said looking into both boys' eyes with sincerity in his voice, "but I don't want to push you into anything you don't want to do."**

**Both boys just sat in silence, letting the full effect of Dena's words to sink in. Could that man truly take the place of their father. The term "dad" always brought shivers of fear in the boys; was there a possibility that term could once again symbolize the loving and protective person that had long been absent in the boys' lives? Not seeing a reaction from either of the boys, Dean stood up and grabbed the pan of bacon from the stove and served everyone breakfast. **

"**Well," Dean said laying a few pieces of bacon on Noah's plate, "the sooner we get to those schools the better." **

*** * * **

**Dean pulled the Impala up to the nearly empty parking lot of the local high school, "Lawrence High School: Home of the Tornadoes" **

"**What a lame mascot," Dean said looking at the sign before shaking his head and walking up the stairs to the main entrance of the school. **

**Dean opened the door to the deserted main lobby of the school. At the far end of the room they saw hallways that led to two separate ends of the building which were lined with blue lockers. The main office was located to the right of the lobby and that was where Dean began leading the group. Before entering the office, Dean turned to Sam and said, "I think Nathan and I should just go in. Why don't you and Noah hang out here," he glanced at a bench that was place against the wall.**

"**Yeah, that sounds good," Sam led Noah over to the bench and sat him down. **

"**Ready?" Dean asked Nathan. Nathan was terrified, he hated meeting new people. Nathan roughly swallowed and nodded in return. Dean opened the door to the main office and walked over to the elderly secretary that was sitting behind a desk. **

"**Can I help you?" She asked looking between Dean and Nathan who stood slightly behind Dean. **

"**Yes, we're here to see Principal Williams. We just moved here and I'd like to enroll my son in school. My name's Dean Winchester and my son's name is Nathan Winchester."**

"**Okay, I'll go tell Principal Williams that you're here," **

**Dean placed a hand on the back of Nathan's neck and had the boy look at him, "Just breathe kiddo, I'll be right by you. I can tell you that there's nothing to be scared of here besides the nasty food and the old, saggy teachers." This brought a small smirk to the Nathan's face which quickly disappeared when the secretary came out again. **

"**Principal Williams will see you now," she held the door open for the two Winchesters. **

"**Thanks," Dean winked at her and a rosy hue swept onto the secretary's cheeks. **

**Principal Williams' office was normal looking, one corner held a bookshelf, the other a potted tree. Williams sat in a desk located in the middle of the room, her face hidden behind a desktop computer. She looked up when the Winchesters walked in and Dean had to bite back the whistle that was attempting to make its way out of his mouth. Principal Williams was Dean's dream girl. She was in her mid-thirties, tall with long auburn hair, and in-shape. She was dressed in a black skirt that stopped at the knees and a red short-sleeved blouse. Dean felt himself falling for her as soon as he saw her.**

"**Hi, I'm Principal Williams, you must be Dean and you must be Nathan," she shook hands with both of the men, "Please take a seat." Dean gave her his most flirtatious smile when his hand met hers. Seeing this, Nathan cleared his throat to get Dean's attention back to him and the situation before sitting down in one of the chairs. **

"**So, welcome to the neighborhood; how was your move-in," she asked trying to ignore Dean's staring. **

"**Oh it was great. I'm beginning to really love this town" Dean replied hinting as to the new reason he was loving the town. **

**If she noticed this remark, Principal Williams chose to ignore it, "So, let's get down to business. Now, Noah, I see you will be in your junior year. Unfortunately, since you're educational information was destroyed in the fire we have no record of your past grades, so for now I will be placing you in the regular academic classes. Is that okay with you Mister Winchester?"**

"**Yeah, that's fine." Nathan didn't care what she put him in as long as they got out of the office soon; he was starting to get extremely uncomfortable around the principal and just wanted to leave.**

"**Are there any learning disabilities or illnesses we should be aware of Nathan?" Nathan was feeling extremely claustrophobic and looked over at Dean for help. Thankfully, Dean was able to see Nathan's reaction and stepped in to answer for him. **

"**Um, Principal Williams is it okay if Nathan waits outside while we finish this?" Dean looked piteously over at Nathan. **

"**Yeah sure," she looked at Nathan with a mixture of confusion and pity. "I'll see you when school begins Nathan," Nathan didn't even nod, he just got up and walked back out to the comfort of Sam and Noah. **

**When Nathan had left, Principal Williams looked at Dean who was still staring at the door with worry etched on his face, "Is he okay?" she asked.**

"**Well, I have to tell you that a few months ago, him and his brother witnessed a pretty terrible crime and ever since they've both been very antisocial and anxious around strangers," Dean repeated the story they had discussed, "I'm worried about how school will go seeing how nervous he is now, and he's always had a hard time in school anyway."**

"**I'm so sorry that happened Mr. Winchester. How about this," she said thinking aloud, "we'll take it one day at a time. If he needs extra tutoring we can provide help, and as for the social aspect, if he needs a break we can put him in classes that aren't as crowded. If that doesn't help, we can possibly shorten his school day so as not to prolong the situation and to let him accustom to the change in his own pace."**

"**Really? You could do that?" Dean asked. **

"**Yes, we'll find some way to make sure he succeeds. He seems like a very good kid."**

"**He is," Dean replied proudly, "Thank you so much." **

"**Well, I'll get all the paperwork sorted out and I can notify you on Nathan's progress throughout the school year." **

"**That would be my pleasure," Dean said getting up to leave, "I'll see ya later."**

"**Nice meeting you, Mr. Winchester," and she watched as Dean left with one final smile back in her direction. **

"**You okay?" Dean asked Nathan as soon as he got outside. The kid had his brother pulled tight to him and was leaning against Sam. **

"**Yeah, sorry."**

"**Nothing to be sorry about, kid," Dean reassured him. **

"**Everything go okay?" Sam questioned standing up to leave.**

"**Yep, everything was awesome," Sam didn't even ask why Dean had that look on his face.**

**Noah's school went exactly the same way, except that Noah refused to enter the office without the company of Nathan and Sam. The principal there was an older man and more stern and intimidating than Principal Williams was, and Dean and Sam knew he frightened Noah. Though, the principal also said Noah's "issues" wouldn't be a problem and were something the school was able to deal with. **

**Dean pulled the Impala back into their driveway when they returned home. He threw the keys over to Sam who caught them and turned to Noah and asked, "Do you wanna go to Bobby's with me?" **

**Noah eagerly shook his head and turned to Nathan with a questioning expression on his face. Dean quickly leaned his arm on Nathan's shoulder and began pulling him to the door. "Nathan's gonna hang with me," he said. **

**Noah's eyes began filling with tears. Sam walked over to Noah and knelt down looking the boy in the eyes. "We're only going to be gone for a couple of hours. You'll see him in no time."**

"**Do you want to go Noah?" Nathan questioned. Noah shook his head 'yes', "Go ahead and go then, I'll see you when you get home. I promise." **

**Noah thought for a minute, then ran over, gave Nathan a hug, and jumped back into the Impala. **

"**Guess that means he's going," Sam smirked before getting into the driver's seat and starting the car. **

**Nathan began walking to the house wondering what Dean and him were going to do while Noah and Sam were gone. He never really spent time alone with Dean or time away from his brother for that matter. This could be interesting, he thought, but at least he wasn't too nervous. **

*** * * **

**Dean walked into the house and looked around the house wondering what "normal" people do for fun. Any other day he'd be looking for a hung. "So, whatcha want to do?" he asked Nathan. **

"**I don't know." **

"**How about we go work on your shooting skills?" Dean suggested. Nathan looked at Dean confused as to what he just heard. **

"**I thought we weren't hunting anymore?" **

"**Well, we did stop hunting, but I still want you both to be able to take care of yourselves. Is that okay?" Not wanting to upset Dean, Nathan shook his head and stood up to follow Dean outside. **

"**Great!" Dean walked over to the cabinet they bought that held all the hunting equipment and took out his handgun. He made sure it was loaded and motioned Nathan to follow him outside. **

**Dean began walking along the trail that led to the shooting area Sam had set up a few days ago. Nathan was extremely quiet, but Dean didn't take any notice; his excitement to once again feel the thrill of a gun between his fingers taking precedence over Nathan's abrupt change of attitude. Nathan himself was not taking the situation very well. It wasn't Dean's fault really; Nathan hadn't told him much about what Matt put Nathan and Noah through, but he felt like he wasn't ready to talk about it, and even if he wasn't, Dean probably wouldn't want to listen. **

"**So, we can just do some simple target practice, see how good you are. Just go out and do your thing." Dean walked over to the targets to make sure they were on securely before walking back to Nathan and handing him the gun. As soon as Nathan grasped the cold metal in his hand, he was bombarded with a number of negative memories. **

'_**You better fucking get this right, Nathan! We've been working on it for weeks. Now, shoot the damn target!" Matt screamed in the boy's face as the twelve year old cringed away from his red-faced father. **_

"**Nate, you ready kiddo?" Dean asked pulling Nathan from his memories. **

"**Yeah," Nathan was slightly shaking, but begged his arms to remain steady as he focused on the target ahead of him. He cocked the gun, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the target about an inch from the bulls-eye. The miss drowned out Dean's praise of, "Good job…" because all he saw was his failure at shooting, and that only reminded him of Matt. **

"_**You dumb shit! You can't even hit a simple target!' Matt struck the boy across the face and reached down to roughly grab his neck. 'You better get this next target, you got that?' Nathan was too shaken to answer. Hearing no response, Matt punched the boy in the stomach. Nathan cried out at the pain that was shooting through his stomach. **_

_**Nathan tearfully grabbed, 'Please, daddy!' Matt pulled his son up by his neck. **_

'_**Don't you dare call me daddy! It's sir! Get your gun ready.'**_

'_**Yes, sir,' Nathan once again picked up the gun to shoot. **_

'_**Now, hit the damn target!'**_

"**Ready to try again?" Dean asked Nathan. **

**Nathan couldn't' respond, he was hyperventilating too badly. He raised the gun and aimed, but before he shot Dean realized the boy was having difficulty breathing. **

"**Nathan, you okay? Stop for a minute," but Nathan was too preoccupied with his memories and fears to hear Dean. He pulled the trigger with a shaky arm and this time totally missed the target. **

"**Hey, hey, hey, just relax kiddo. Put the gun down," Dean reached out a comforting hand to touch Nathan's shoulder not knowing what had brought about the panic attack, but was totally unprepared for the reaction he got. **

'_**You missed it again! What kind of moron are you?' Another hard hit to the face had Nathan cringing on the ground trying to protect himself as best he could. **_

**Nathan dropped the gun to the ground and quickly turned to face Dean. **

"**Whoa, Nathan. Calm down, it's okay," Nathan's eyes were wide with fear as he began backing up away from Dean holding his hands in front of his face in case of future onslaught. **

_**Matt angrily bent down and picked both his son and the gun off the ground. He pulled Nathan close to his body with the collar of his shirt and placed the gun against Nathan's head. Seeing this action, Nathan began sobbing hysterical. **_

'_**Do you see this gun? Huh? Do you see it! I could blow your brains out right now for missing that shot!' **_

'_**Please, sir. I'm sorry, I'll get it next time! Please!' Nathan pleaded, his hands trying to push the gun away from his forehead. **_

'_**Damn right you will,' Matt roughly pushed Nathan away from his and thrust the gun into his hands. 'Now, get it right this time or I'm gonna beat you senseless!' Needless, to say, Nathan didn't hit it, and things only got worse from there. **_

"**Hey, buddy, calm down," Nathan fearfully hurriedly backed away from Dean, sobs breaking loose. **

"**Please, I'm sorry," Nathan cried. He backed up a few more steps and tripped on a log, landing hard on the ground. **

"**Nathan, please just calm down," Dean got down on his knees cautiously crawling towards the terrified boy, he had no idea as to what triggered this reaction. Nathan backed up into a tree and began panicking as he found himself unable to go anywhere else. **

"**Leave me alone, please. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Nathan held his hands up, once again protecting himself. **

"**I'm not gonna hurt you kid," Dean leaned over and cupped Nathan's face, biting his lip when he saw how badly the boy flinched under his touch. "Hey, calm down. It's okay Nathan," Dean soothed. He looked into Nathan's eyes and saw a world of hurt buried deep within them. He placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder and pulled him into a hug. Nathan struggled at first, trying to push the man away with all his might, but soon allowed the older man to continue comforting him. **

**Dean's caring words eventually pulled Nathan away from his own flashbacks and he realized the man wasn't going to hurt him. He sobbed even harder as he leaned into Dean and clung to him as if Dean was his lifeline. Eventually, Nathan's sobbing decreased and his breathing returned to normal. **

"**I'm sorry," Nathan whispered, his face hidden in Dean's jacket. **

"**Don't be sorry; you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who should be sorry. I pushed you into this and was unable to realize how it was affecting you."**

"**I don't know why it scared me so much," Nathan sniffed and turned away from Dean, "I mean as soon as you gave me the gun it all came back."**

"**What were you thinking about?" **

**Nathan could feel himself starting to lose it again. He took a few deep breaths to steady his voice before speaking, "It just reminded me of when my dad would have me practice shooting. He'd hit me every time I missed the bulls-eye, even if I got the target. He got so mad one time, he held the gun to my head and threatened to pull the trigger."**

**Dean was in shock; he had seen Matt in action, but could never imagine anyone doing that to a kid. He protectively pulled the boy even closer to him, "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, but I promise I would never hurt you."**

"**I know that and I trust you, I do. I'm just having a hard time getting over it all and forgetting about it. It's like, everything I do or everywhere I turn I remember it and it scares me," Nathan bit back a sob and held onto Dean even harder. "Noah just forgets so easily. He can push those bad thoughts and emotions back when he's around you because he trusts you so much, but I can't do that. No matter how hard I try, I'm still scared all the time." **

**Dean pulled Nathan around so he could look him in the face, biting his lip when he saw the tears that were making their way down the teen's face, "It'll get better after a while. The pain will go away eventually. You know, if you ever want to talk about anything, I'm here. I'll listen to you."**

"**Um, I have a question."**

"**What is it?" Dean craned his neck to look at Nathan. **

"**Did you mean what you said earlier about wanting to be our dad?" Nathan shyly asked. **

"**I meant every word, and I'll say it again, I would love to be your dad."**

"**I'd like that too."**

"**Really?" Dean looked at Nathan. **

"**You've been more like a dad than my father ever once. I finally feel safe and happy for once."**

"**I'm happy for you kid."**

"**Do you think I can call you Dad?"**

"**I think that'd be okay," Dean sarcastically said, "I would love it actually."**

"**Thanks Dad," Nathan wrapped his arms tighter around Dean.**

"**You're welcome, Nathan. But you can call me Dad as long as I can call you shrimp."**

**Nathan chuckled, "Fine, it's a deal," and for once, Nathan felt safe, secure, and loved. **

**_____________________________________________________________________________________**

**So, I hope it wasn't too cheesy. I tried to keep Dean in character as much as possible. More Sam and Noah fun to come next chapter! I will hopefully get it out soon. PLEASE REVIEW! You know I love them! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry this chapter took so long. For some reason I was having major writer's block. I'll try to update soon to make up for the long wait. _____________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 3**

Sam and Noah arrived at Bobby's a few minutes later; Noah quickly jumped out of the Impala and ran over to Sam, taking the man's hand in his. Sam smiled down at the boy before leading the way to Bobby's house. They climbed the rickety wooden stairs before knocking on the front door. A few seconds later Bobby opened the door sporting his symbolic tattered baseball cap.

"Hey, boys," he opened the door letting the two enter the house, "How are ya?"

"We're good, Bobby. Aren't we kiddo?"

"Yep. Can we go see the puppies?" Noah asked looking between Bobby and Sam.

"Are those puppies all you think about?" Bobby joked.

"Yeah, pretty much," both the men laughed. "So, can we?"

"Let me get what I came here for first, then we'll go see the dogs," Sam replied following Bobby into the living room.

The living room was a cluttered mess of books and papers, the blinds were shut allowing little to no light into the room creating a very dark and eerie setting, but this was all part of Bobby's decorating style. Noah was used to the chilling affect the house had on you. Oddly enough, he actually found himself quite comfortable in it now. Bobby walked over to a table that lined one wall and pulled an old, dusty book closer to him.

"This is the book I wanted you to translate," Bobby flipped through the yellowed pages before stopping at one section, "This one in particular. I'm just busy with a lot of things right now, but I know some hunters who might find this useful. Would you mind doing this for me?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem, Bobby. I'll get right on that."

"Thanks a lot, Sam," Bobby closed the book and handed it to Sam. "So, ready to see those puppies, Noah?"

"Yeah!" Noah looked up from the pile of books he was perusing and grinned in Sam and Bobby's direction.

"Okay, c'mon kid," Sam reached out a hand as Bobby led the way to the barn. Sam put the book in the Impala before succumbing to Noah's pulling and jumping and finally allowed the boy to lead the way the way to the barn.

Noah dragged Sam to the stall the puppies were still living in and yanked open the door. He cautiously walked into the stall, trying not to step on the puppies that were running around the stall, digging holes, jumping on one another, and rolling in the dirt.

"So, do you know which one you want to take home when they're ready?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, that one," Noah spotted the runt of the litter sitting in the corner of the stall and walked up to it. He sat down on the ground and pulled the puppy into his lap, laughing when the dog began licking his ears.

"I think you made a good choice," Bobby said.

"What are you going to name him?" Sam asked. "Noah," the boy had suddenly cringed, "Are you okay, kiddo?" Noah pushed the puppy out of his hands as he grabbed his head.

"Noah, what's wrong?" Sam ran over to the boy and reached out a hand to touch his shoulder. Noah jumped at the touch and jerked away, beginning to cry.

"Nathan, where's Nathan?" Noah cried, looking around in a daze. "Head hurts, make it stop."

"Bobby, I think he's going to have a vision."

"Sam, you need to take him home," Sam turned back to the boy and lifted him up, carrying him out of the stall.

"I want Nathan," Noah was bawling now, tears running endlessly down his cheeks.

"Just hang on, Noah," Sam quickly ran to the Impala and slid into the driver's seat, still holding Noah in his arms.

"Call me and tell me what happens," Bobby said giving Noah a pitiful gaze.

"Of course I will," Sam reversed and quickly drove out of the salvage yard, praying that they'd make it home before Noah's vision came.

***

Nathan and Dean were sitting on the couch watching a movie; Nathan was leaning into Dean's side and Dean had a tender arm around the teen. Dean seemed to understand that Nathan was trying to make up for the many years he lacked any physical affection by being overly clingy with him, especially now since he finally realized Dean wasn't going to hurt him.

Frantically, the front door burst open, slamming against the wall. Sam came in, wildly searching the room for Nathan and Dean, Noah was in Sam's arms, his hands wrapped tightly around Sam's collar, his forehead pressed hard against Sam's neck, and sobs shaking his small frame.

"What happened?" Nathan jumped off the couch and over to Sam, pulling his brother into his arms and kneeling on the floor.

"Head hurts," Noah cried, "Nathan, make it stop!"

"Dean, go get a cold washcloth," Dean rushed out of the room in the direction of the bathroom.

"Noah, it's gonna be okay. I got you now," Nathan ran his fingers through Noah's hair, but this did nothing to calm the boy down, "What happened?"

Dean ran in and placed the washcloth on the back of Noah's neck. "I think he's going to have a vision," Sam said.

"What, like while he's awake? That's never happened before," Nathan told Sam.

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

"Sam, you're not helping. Noah," Dean placed a comforting arm on the Noah's back, "just try to breath through the pain. Listen to your brother's breathing and follow it. The pain should be over in a little bit."

Dean watched as the boy struggled to control his breathing, but eventually he was able to match his breathing with that of his brother's breathing. For a few minutes it was completely silent in the room besides Noah's continuous whimpering. Suddenly, Noah lurched in Nathan's embrace and let out a pained shriek. Sam looked over at Dean, pity showing clear on his face since he knew the pain the young boy was going through. Nathan tightened his grip and attempted to keep his own cool as he heard his brother yell out in pain.

The entire vision must have only lasted for a few seconds, but for Dean, Sam, and Nathan it lasted for hours. When the vision was over, Noah slumped exhaustedly into Nathan's arms and sobbed hysterically.

"What did you see kiddo? It's okay, just tell us what you saw," Dean tenderly asked the boy.

"No, no, no," Noah shook his head in Nathan's chest and grasped his shirt in a death-grip. "No, Nathan."

"What did you see, Noah? C'mon, you have to tell us."

"Dad," Nathan tensed at this statement and Dean's eyes went cold, "Flashes. Just Dad."

"Did you hear him say anything Noah?"

"Our names," Nathan unconsciously tightened his arms around his baby brother while tears filled his eyes. They couldn't go back to the way things were. He didn't know if he could survive it this time, not when they had Dean and Sam who actually cared about them. What if their father found them again and took them away from Sam and Dean forever?

"Nathan," Dean was lightly patting Nathan's cheek, "Snap out of kiddo. You have to stay calm." Nathan focused his eyes and saw Dean's face inches from his. He didn't realize he was panicking and forced himself to calm down, but found it hard to, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks.

Dean placed his hands on either side of Nathan's face, "Calm down," he ran his thumbs up and down Nathan's face, trying to offer some comfort. "It's gonna be fine."

"Dad," Nathan said, and Dean, not knowing if Nathan was talking about him or Matt, but pulled the boy into his arms anyway. He felt Nathan tightly grip his shirt and placed his cheek on Nathan's head.

"I told you I'd keep you two safe," Dean wrapped an arm around Noah who was still attached to his brother. Noah leaned in close to Dean's touch, too weak to do anything else. Sam could only watch as the three comforted each other.

"Dean," Sam interrupted a few minutes later, "I'm going to drive back to Bobby's to do some research and see if I can find out where he is. Why don't you three get some sleep?" Dean nodded at Sam and watched as he walked out of the room.

"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

"Can we?" Nathan quietly asked looking up at Dean.

"Of course you can. Why don't two go get changed and meet me in my room?"

Nathan nodded, lifted his brother up, and headed to the room he shared with Noah.

Nathan helped change Noah into his pajamas and afterwards changed his own clothes. Nathan wanted to say something to console his brother, but he couldn't think of anything to say, especially because he was feeling unsure about the entire situation. He led Noah to the bathroom and had him brush his teeth before taking some Children's Tylenol for the headache Noah told him he had. Then, the two brothers made their way to Dean's room.

"Ready for bed?" Dean asked when the boys walked into his room. Nathan just looked at Dean with glassy eyes while leaning closer to Nathan, tears silently making their way down his face. Seeing that the kids weren't going to be moving anytime soon, Dean walked over and knelt in front of them, "Hey, I promised you boys that you were safe with me, and I can tell you that I will do everything in my power to keep that promise, alright? Matt doesn't know where you are, and we're gonna keep it that way."

Both boys nodded at Dean before returning to how they were before. Sighing, Dean stood up and placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder leading him to the bed; Dean knew Noah would follow anywhere Nathan went. Noah jumped onto the bed and turned around waiting for Nathan to do the same thing. Nathan followed his brother and pulled him close and felt as Dean sat down on the bed.

"Are you sure you boys are fine?" Dean saw the two boys, "Okay, go ahead and lie down; we had a long day."

Nathan gently pulled Noah down with him and pulled him close. Dean covered the boys with blankets, turned off the lights, and settled down in bed. He could feel the tension radiating off the boys. Dean turned onto his side and began running a hand over Noah's back, who was the closest to him. The boy inched towards Dean, sinking into his chest, taking as much comfort and protection he could possibly get from the older man. Noah pulled Nathan with and the three huddled together on the bed. Dean could hear both boys crying and wrapped his arm as well as he could around Nathan and Noah, and like that, the three Winchesters fell asleep.

**Okay, the worst chapter every written, but hey, it's a chapter. Like I said, I'll try to review as soon as I can, but please REVIEW while you're waiting. I love reviews, and hey, you never know, but maybe more reviews will motivate me to write faster…REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Nathan, wake up!" Nathan's eyes snapped open at the sound of Dean's urgent command. Panting and trembling, Nathan turned to look at Dean who was sitting beside him.

It had been days since Noah's vision, and the boy was still unable to tell the Winchesters any more details about what he had seen in his head. Sam, Dean, and Bobby had searched for any signs as to where Matt was, but all leads came up empty. Even with the threat of Matt's return, Noah had been able to sleep through the nights, but Nathan's dreams were haunted by terrifying memories of his life with Matt, and it had become a nightly occurrence that Nathan would awaken, shaking from the recollections of the abuse he suffered. Therefore, Nathan and Noah had taken to sleeping in Dean's bed, but unlike the first night, Nathan was now sleeping in the middle, he being the one that needed the most comfort.

"Bad dream?" Dean knew it was a dumb question. Of course the kid had a bad dream, but this question usually led, if Dean was lucky, to Nathan opening up about his dreams and about his past. Nathan needed to open up if any progress was going to be made in him being able to move on.

Dean watched as Nathan nodded his head, biting his lip in an attempt to prevent himself from breaking down completely. Dean could see Nathan shaking, trying with all his might not to let his tears fall, but like all the other nights this one was no different. Nathan let out a heart wrenching sob and the tears finally broke loose of their dam. Not being able to take seeing the boy in so much pain, Dean drew Nathan into a hug and held him in his arms.

After a few minutes of crying, Nathan's sobs had decreased substantially and Dean could feel the boy softly sniffing. Nathan ran a hand over his face to erase any traces of tears before quietly asking, "Why do I suck?"

Dean looked down in shock at Nathan who was now leaned up against his side, "You do no suck, and I never want to hear you talk about yourself like that again."

"But I can't even sleep through the night without freaking out. Noah's only nine-years-old and he's perfectly fine for the most part. Why can't I get over this?"

"Nathan, you're a kid that's been through more horrific things than most adults have dealt with, and you had to take care of and protect your little brother. You're one of the strongest persons I know, especially with what your Dad put you through. Noah had you to protect him from a lot of your Dad's abuse, but you had no one. Of course it's going to take time for you to stop being afraid, but you will get over it."

Nathan was silent, contemplating what Dean had just said to him. He was surprised Dean thought he was strong, especially with how the past few nights had gone. Nathan was sure Dean was tired of all the nightmares and tears and comforting, but no matter how hard Nathan tried, he couldn't get away from the dreams and memories that attacked him in his sleep.

"Are you sure I'll get over it? Because sometimes it feels like I never will."

"Give it time, Nathan. It will get better. Slowly, but surely, it will," Dean rubbed a hand on Nathan's shoulder wondering whether or not he should even ask about the dream, but Sam in his freakishly scholarly way had told him the more Nathan talked about it, the easier it would get for him. So, Dean could only try to encourage the teen to talk about it and hope he'd open up. "So," he asked, "do you want to talk about it?"

Nathan sat still for the longest time. He didn't really want to talk about the dream, and after a while Dean didn't think he would; but finally, Nathan began, "It was about when I went to this one school." 'Ah, school_,"_ Dean thought. Noah and Nathan were starting school the next day and both were terrified at the prospect. Of course that's what the nightmare would be about; Nathan's dread at going to school the next day most likely sparked this dream.

"It was two years ago, and one of my teachers noticed a bruise on my cheek from where Dad-I mean, Matt- had hit me the night before," Nathan had tried to get in the habit of calling Mark by his first name, particularly now since he considered Dean his new father, "She sent me to the nurse's office to get it looked at. The teacher and the principal called Matt in to talk to him about the bruise, but he was able to talk himself out of the accusations of child abuse, and when we got home he punished me for telling the teacher about it."

"What happened after that?"

Nathan tried to burrow himself even deeper into Dean's embrace before continuing with his story; he remembered it so vividly…

_"You piece of shit!" Matt_ _threw Nathan on the ground and began kicking him in the chest, "You go spreading lies to those teachers of yours when you know you deserve everything you get!" _

_Nathan was trying to breath through the pain in his chest, but every breath he took caused his chest to erupt in blinding pain. _

_"Get up!" Matt yanked Nathan up and roughly pulled him to his knees, "Get your hands behind your head," Nathan dreadfully obeyed, fearing what was going to happen to him next, "Now, you don't move until I say you can. If and when you move because I know how weak you are, you better pray someone hears you screaming." _

_Matt quickly walked to the kitchen and Nathan could hear him opening a beer bottle before coming back into the living room and sitting directly across from Nathan, watching the boy for any sign of falling. Nathan could already feel his breathing becoming laborious. His arms were killing him and he was physically shaking from the effort of holding the position. Every breath he took caused a new spark of pain to course through his body, and it took everything he had not to cry out and fall from the pain. _

_Nathan glanced at his father whose dark and unforgiving eyes were still frozen to his trembling body. Sweat began to bead down his forehead as he thought of what a failure and disappointment he was. His father was right; he was a worthless piece of shit that couldn't hide a simple bruise from his teacher. _

_After ten minutes, Noah walked into the house having just arrived home from school. He looked with wide, fearful eyes from his father to his brother. Through his eyes, Nathan tried to tall Noah to go to their room as quickly as possible, but Matt noticed the movement. _

_"Noah, sit your ass on the couch. You're brother's getting punished and you're going to watch it." _

_Nathan closed his eyes in sadness, not wanting his brother to witness what was going to happen. He watched as Noah fearfully sat on the couch as far away from his father as was possible. Matt just continued to watch Nathan. _

_After a few minutes, Nathan could feel his body completely quitting. His side was on fire causing him to bend to the side trying to lessen the pain. He was beginning to whimper from the pain he felt in his arms, his knees, and his torso, and knew it wouldn't be long before he fell. Sure enough, after a few more moments Nathan fell, completely exhausted, and Matt was beside him in less than a second. _

_"You didn't even make it for a half hour! What kind of weakling are you?" Matt punched Nathan repeatedly in the back making it even more difficult for Nathan to breathe. _

_"Dad, please! Can't breathe…" Nathan gasped. _

_"Stop!" Noah ran at Matt, tears running down his face. He couldn't stand seeing his brother hurting. He was his hero, and right now he was in extreme pain; all the fear for his brother completely overpowering the fear of his father's wrath. . "Daddy, don't hurt him anymore!" He beat his tiny fists on his father's back, hitting him over and over again, but causing no real damage. Matt finally noticed his youngest son and immediately dropped Nathan on the ground. _

_"What the hell are you doing?" Matt picked Noah up roughly picked him up and threw him onto one of the tables, causing Noah to hit one of the lamps and fall roughly onto the floor on the other side. He yelled out in pain and immediately held his hand to his chest. Matt walked over to Noah, towering over the boy. Nathan tried his hardest to stand up, but his body felt like jello. _

_"Don't ever do that again! You got that?" Matt kicked Noah in the side when he didn't answer, "Answer me!" Nathan only nodded in reply. _

"That was the last time Noah really talked. He never said much after that night. It took me forever to get over to him. I was in so much pain, but I had to help him, he was so scared. His arm was just sprained, but Matt terrified him that night. I promised him not to get in the middle of Matt and me ever again."

"So, that's why he didn't talk," Dean asked, Nathan nodded, "and that's part of the reason why you're scared to go to school?" Again, Nathan nodded. "You're gonna be fine at school you know, and Noah's doing okay now."

"Yeah, he's hasn't been this happy in a while," Nathan looked up at Dean, "I haven't been this happy in a while either."

"I'm glad you feel like that, and Noah made it this far because of you, because you kept him safe for as long as you did. And don't worry about school; it's going to work out."

"You think so?"

"I know so kiddo. Now, go to sleep. You've got a busy day tomorrow."

Nathan lay back down in bed and curled up beside Dean, "Thanks," he closed his eyes feeling Dean running his hand threw his hair, "love you Dad."

Dean froze surprised as to what Nathan just said, but was excited about it, "Love you too kiddo," and laid next to Nathan, pulling the teen close to him.

***

"I don't want to go to school, Uncle Sammy!" Noah wrapped his arms around Sam's neck. "Please!"

"Noah, you have to go. You have to start at some point," Sam tried to convince the boy running a hand on his back.

"No! Daddy please don't make me!" Noah ran over to Dean who was cleaning up breakfast and threw his arms around his waist.

"Noah," Dean got down on one knee and put his hands on the boy's shoulders, "Noah, listen…"

"No! Nathan don't let them make me go. I don't wanna go," he started crying as he jumped into his brother's arms, now the only one who could possibly save him from being sent to school.

Nathan pleadingly looked at Dean who shook his head in return. Nathan looked back at Noah and shook his head, "Noah, we have to go."

"No," Noah wrapped his arms around Nathan, stuck his head on his brother's shoulder and started crying. All Nathan could do was hug Noah back in return. Nathan was dreading school too, but he knew there was no way he would be able to stay at home.

"Noah, look at me," Dean walked over and Noah reluctantly turned his tearstained face in Dean's direction, "I know you don't want to go, but school might be fun here. Just give it a few weeks for me, and if you don't like it we can figure something else out. Will you do that for me? Be a big kid and stick it out for a few weeks?" Noah though about it for a few minutes and reluctantly shook his head. "Thanks kiddo. How about when you get done with school we go to the pet store and get some supplies for that new puppy of yours."

"Yeah," Noah perked up at this suggestion.

"Good. Now go get your backpacks and meet me out at the car. The sooner we get going, the sooner we get to the pet store." Dean watched the two boys hurry out of the room before turning to Sam, "Do you think we're pushing them too soon?"

"Dean, we have to do this at some point. We might as well make it now; they're both doing so much better."

"Yeah, Nathan's still having nightmares though."

"Really? Nightmares about what?"

"What do you think? That sadistic asshole they used to call their father," he sighed before going to throw on his leather jacket.

"They're going to be fine, Dean. God, I've never seen you so freaked out before," Sam got up starting to follow Dean to the door.

"Yeah, well, I don't want school to suck for them like it used too. Especially when I keep telling them how awesome it's going to be."

"Well, like you said, if it doesn't work out we can figure something else out; I could home school them before they're ready to try it again. Let's just take it one step at a time and see how today goes."

"Okay," Dean grumbled. He locked the front door when Sam stepped out then turned and headed to the Impala where the two boys were standing, each with miserable looks on their faces.

"Cheer up, school's awesome."

"Yeah, says the nerd," Dean tried to get the boys to laugh, but he failed miserably as the boys just got into the car. "God help us," Dean got into the driver's seat, backed out of the driver, and headed in the direction of the schools. It was going to be a long day.

**Only five reviews??? Let's step it up a notch. Thanks to everyone who reviews all the time, I do really appreciate it and take into suggestion everything that people write. Hopefully, I'll get another chapter up within the next few days…I have a horseshow this week so I'm going to be busy, but I do want to write the next chapter soon! Once school is over for the summer it'll be ten times easier to update******** Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I really hope it's not too cheesy. I really don't' have any experience as to how abused kids act after they are removed from the situation, so I'm going as to how I pictured the story in the first place (and I am a huge fan of cute/fatherly Dean!**


	5. Chapter 5

**SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, it's been two weeks since I last posted a chapter. You guys probably hate my guts. Well, finals will soon be over, and then I can update all the time! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, especially the people who opened up accounts to review my stories. ********. ENJOY! And sorry again for the delay. Also, sorry if there are a lot of grammar mistakes, I don't really have the time to check it because I should be studying right now.**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 5:**

Dean pulled the Impala up to the high school; teenagers were walking every which way, asking each other about their summer breaks and figuring out who was in their classes. Nathan was looking out the car with a dreaded expression on his face, while his little brother clung to his arm.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Dean asked looking back at Nathan.

"No, I'll be fine. Bye Noah. Have a good day at school," Nathan gripped his brother in a tight hug before getting out of the Impala, "Bye Dad, bye Uncle Sam."

"See ya after school, kiddo," Sam said while Dean stared at Nathan's back hoping that the day would go well.

Nathan walked to the school, looked at the many teens who were wandering around the campus, and huffed before walking through the front doors. It was going to be a long day.

***

"You ready to go in there Noah?" Dean asked, he had opened Noah's door and was on one knee beside the boy. Noah just shook his head 'no' in return. "I know you don't want to go Noah, but could you please give this a shot for me?" Dean just prayed the boy would acquiesce and go to school for the day.

Noah just grabbed his backpack and got out of the car. Dean let out a sigh of relief and walked the boy to the front of the schoolyard and knelt back down, cupping the boy's cheek with his hand.

"Just go in there and be yourself. Your brother and I will be here when your day's over, alright? Just try to have some fun," Dean rubbed a thumb over Noah's cheek. Noah leaned forward and tightly hugged Dean before walking through the gate to the elementary school. Dean watched him enter the building before heading back to the Impala.

"Do you think we're pushing them too soon?"

"No," Sam replied, "they have to start at some point, and they have to learn that they're safe here no matter what."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Dean turned the ignition on in the Impala and listened to the purr of the engine, musing about the day, "So, what do you want to do today?"

"I dunno, I was maybe going to do some research about schools in the area. Maybe go back and get my law degree."

"Really? That'd be cool. Are you sure you're ready to leave the hunting life behind for good?" Dean pulled out of the parking lot and began making his way make to the house.

Sam shrugged, "It's weird right now, but what else can we do? We've got kids now."

"Please don't say it like that dude. It's creeping me out. It makes us sound like we're a freaking couple," Sam laughed in response.

"What do you want to do?" Sam asked his brother.

"I hadn't really thought about it. I mean life without hunting…I'm kind of going crazy without it right now, man. I mean, I am tired of it, but I don't think we've ever stayed this long in one place; I'm not used to this domesticated lifestyle."

"Well," Sam hesitated before asking this question. Dean always acted weird and self-conscious whenever people would ask about his own wants and desires; he was just too used to putting everyone else's needs and wants before his own, "If you could do anything in the world, what would you do?"

Dean thought long and hard before answering, "I really never thought about it. I'd love to rebuild cars though, the old classics like my baby here," he patted the dashboard.

"There you go then, go look around for an auto shop. If you don't fine one we can sell another relic and buy one."

"That's a good idea. I wonder if there are any good shops around?"

"Go drive around and see. You never know, but could you drop me off at the community college first."

"Yeah, sure, geek-boy."

"That's so old, Dean."

***

So far the day was uneventful, Nathan walked to his sixth period class expecting the same old routine. Nathan had been able to avoid really talking to anyone so far; lunch was hard to deal with. He ate by himself and watched the rest of the students already acclimated to the new school year and chatting with their own groups of friends. That was the thing about school, Nathan had never felt connected to anyone he went to school with, there was always the shadow of his messed up family life following him. With the hunting and the abuse, it was just an added hindrance to attempt to make any friends. Unfortunately, his next class was chemistry, and knowing what the typical science room layout he assumed he'd have a lab partner to talk to. He walked into the classroom and the teacher called him over.

"Name please?" the dark-haired teacher asked.

"Um, Nathan Winchester."

"Okay, you will be sitting in the back row at the table closest to the window. Welcome to the class."

"Thanks," Nathan bowed his tried, trying to remain inconspicuous as he made his way to the back of the room. He sat at the table, wondering what his lab partner was going to be like. He just hoped it wasn't one of those asshole jocks who thinks he's better than everyone else. Nathan wondered how his brother was doing so far; he still worried about him all the time. Although Noah was extremely social around the Sam, Dean, and Bobby, once he was around people he didn't know, he reverted back to his antisocial, timid ways. Nathan was pulled from thoughts when someone sits at the table next to him. He looked up and recognized the girl that lived in the house across from their own.

"Hi, I'm Abby," she smiled at Nathan.

"Nathan," he replied, not really knowing how to act in this situation. Nathan knew he was attracted to her. She was really pretty, her straight chestnut hair framing her face.

"You're new right? You moved into the house across from mine."

"Yeah," Nathan was trying his hardest to not act anxious. Abby was the first person who attempted to talk to him all day and she just so happened to be his beautiful neighbor.

"How do you like it so far?" but before Nathan got a chance to reply the teacher began talking.

Nathan attempted to pay attention, he really did, but he kept glancing over at Abby in the corner of his eye. She seemed really nice, and looked like one of those girls who wasn't fake, who didn't hide behind a pound of makeup.

At the end of class, Nathan grabbed his books and stood up and saw Abby looking at him, "I'll see you tomorrow," then she left with a small smile on her face. Nathan let out a small sigh as he left the classroom, maybe school wouldn't be so bad after all.

***

The rest of the day past without incident, Nathan was glad to leave though. He was exhausted from trying to remain calm and act as if nothing was bothering him, when in actuality; the entire situation was more than nerve-wracking. Nathan walked out of the school and saw the Impala parked near the exit of the lot; he quickly walked over and opened the door, but caught sight of Abby before getting in the car. She looked over and waved at him. Nathan waved back before sitting in the passenger seat.

"I see you've made a friend," Dean said with a smirk in Abby's direction.

"She's just my lab partner," Nathan replied while Dean began driving to Noah's school.

"A very cute, girl lab partner," Nathan glared at Dean who laughed in return.

"So, how was the rest of your day?"

"Okay, nothing much happened."

"Did you make any friends?" Dean glanced at Nathan.

"No," Nathan looked down at his hands before becoming very interested in the passing scenery.

"I'm sure tomorrow will be better. The kids just haven't had the chance to get to know you yet."

"Maybe. So," Nathan hurriedly changed the subject, "What did you and Uncle Sam do today?"

Dean knew Nathan didn't feel like talking about school anymore, so he ignored the subject and answered his question, "I interviewed at a very prestigious local business."

"Yeah, and what business is that?"

"Dan's Auto Shop."

"Wow, sounds like it's prestigious. I bet you get all distinguished townspeople there, like the grocery store manager and the librarian," Nathan replied sarcastically.

"Shut up," Nathan laughed, "For your information, smart ass, they repair and rebuild classic vehicles. Took one look at this beauty and basically hired me on the spot."

"Well, that's good. At least you don't have to pawn any more supernatural relics on innocent buyers."

"Yeah, well, they're idiots for wanting them in the first place. We're here," Dean pulled into a parking spot near the elementary school and got out, Nathan soon following.

Dean leaned against the fence that surrounded the schoolyard before turning his head to look at Nathan, "So, want to really tell me how school was?"

Nathan thought for a minute before answering, "It wasn't that bad," he shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno, I was nervous and didn't really talk to anyone, but I guess it wasn't that bad."

"Well, it'll get better. Just give yourself some time to get used to it," he put an arm around Nathan's shoulder and pulled the teen close to him. The two just stood there, completely content, when they heard the bell ring signaling the end of the day. Within a few minutes, kids were pouring out of the doors, making their way to the buses or to their waiting parents.

"Nathan!" the elder boy looked up to see his little brother running full-speed toward him, and he bent down to sweep the boy into a huge hug.

"Hey," he lightly pushed the boy away so he could see his face, "how was school?"

"It was okay," Noah rushed over to Dean and wrapped his arms around his waist, "Hi, dad!"

"Hi, kiddo," Dean knelt down to Noah's level, "So, how was your day?"

"Okay, my teacher's old though and he's cranky and he smells funny."

"Well, you'll just have to get on his good side, now won't you? Use that nine year old cuteness you've got going for you. Meet any friends? Meet any girls? Your brother over there did."

"Dad," Nathan grumbled.

"You met a girl?" Noah looked excitedly at his brother.

"She's just my lab partner."

"Are you gonna kiss her?"

"No," Nathan got into the car and Noah and Nathan soon followed.

"Are you gonna hold her hand and tell her how pretty she is?"

"Look what you started," Nathan accused Dean.

"I didn't start anything. You're the one who met the girl." Nathan groaned and slid down into his seat.

"Can we go to the pet store now?" Noah loudly asked from the backseat.

"Jeez, do you ever stop?" Noah grinned when Dean looked at him through the rearview mirror, "we have to go pick Sam up first."

"Where is he?"

"He went to a local college to see about taking some classes."

"Why would he want to go to school?" Noah looked disbelievingly questioned.

"It's because he's a geek," Dean pulled on the road heading to the college, happy that the boys seemed better than they normally were. Hopefully, school would go well for them and they could forget about the nine years of hell they had lived with their father.

"Pet store after!"

"Alright, bossy," Dean chuckled as he pressed harder on the gas peddle.

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**Sorry, it sucked. I just hope it will tie you guys over until I can get a good one out. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, sorry it's taken so long; but I'll admit, I've been lazy. I know it seems Nathan kind of eased up to Abby fast, but bare with me, I'm just really excited to get to the fun parts. **

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**Chapter 6**

"Hey, Nathan!" Nathan looked up from his backpack to see the brunette leaning against his neighbor's locker.

"Hi, Abby. What's up?" Nathan already felt a little comfortable with her, especially since they've talked more during class.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to eat lunch with me and my friends today? It would be me and three other people. We have our own small little group. They're really nice," she added when she saw the hesitation on his face, "I mean, they're weird and kind of annoying, but they're fun. Please?"

"Um, I dunno," Nathan put a few books in his bag before zipping it up and turning to look at Abby. He still wasn't completely comfortable with the entire school situation.

"Please, please, pretty please?" Nathan let out a sigh; he couldn't ignore that look.

"Fine," he'd just have to try his hardest to act normal and stay calm.

"Yay, come on," he grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the cafeteria.

She led him into the cafeteria and over to a small table in the corner of the room where two boys and another girl sat.

"Guys, this is Nathan. He's going to eat with us today. Nathan this is Riley, Jake, and Layla."

"Hi," Nathan replied before Abby pulled him down beside her.

"What's up Nate? I'm Riley," said one boy with longer dark brown hair.

"Hey," Nathan shook his hand, trying to relax.

"Hey, I'm Jake and this is my girlfriend Layla."

"Nice to meet you," Layla said.

"So," Riley said as Nathan began eating his lunch, "new student?"

"Yeah, just moved here."

"Liking it so far?"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Nathan felt nervous under all the scrutiny was directing at him.

"How's your brother? I remember seeing him when you guys moved in," Abby added at Nathan's questioning look.

Oh, um, he's fine."

"You have a brother? How old is he?" Riley asked.

"He's nine."

"Where are you parents working?"Layla asked.

"My brother and I live with just my dad and uncle. My dad's working at Dan's Auto Shop and my uncle's going back to college to get his law degree."

"Where's your mom?" Jake asked.

"Jake, shut up!" Layla reprimanded him. Jake just gave her a bemused look in return.

"That's okay, Layla. My mom died after Noah, my brother, was born." A few moments of awkward silence followed this statement; Abby looked at him with a sympathetic expression. Nathan wasn't even sure why he told them his personal business, especially with the lies his family had to tell to remain out of the spotlight, but for some reason he liked these people and felt like he could trust them.

After that incident, lunch went by smoothly. Nathan didn't contribute to the lunch much, but he eagerly listened to the conversation that took place between the friends. Things were going well, and Nathan hoped it would stay that way.

***

Nathan walked into his science class and saw Abby waiting at their table; he smiled and quickly walked over and sat at the table.

"So, did you like my friends because we were wondering if you wanted to each lunch with us from now on?" Abby asked with a friendly gaze.

"Really, or are you just saying that?"

"I really mean it. We had fun with you. Now…yes or no?"

"You women are so pushy," he said shaking his head in a teasing manner.

"I'm not gonna talk to you anymore unless you give me a straight answer," Nathan could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

"Thank God, maybe now I can actually get some work done in class."

"What? Nathan Winchester, you…"

"I was kidding, geez. Anyways, if you're over your power struggle, my answer is yes."

"Really?

"Yeah, it'd be fun," Nathan sincerely hoped this wouldn't be a mistake.

"Nathan Winchester," Nathan looked up to see the teacher staring at him a note in his hand.

"Yes, sir?"

"Pack up your things and head to the office. You're father's there; there's been an emergency and you're needed at home," Nathan felt a fluttering in the pit of his stomach. What could've happened to make Dean come and pick him up from school? He hurriedly packed up his bags and stood up.

"I hope everything's okay," Abby told Nathan before he left.

"Yeah, me too. I'll see ya later."

Nathan swiftly walked out of the classroom and quickly made his way to the office, trying to determine why Dean was at school. Did something happen to his brother? That's the only reason Nathan could think why Dean would come. Did their father finally find them? God, Nathan didn't know what he would do if that happened. He quickened his pace as he saw the office door at the end of the hall. He burst through the door and saw Dean talking with Principal Williams.

Nathan rushed over to Dean, "Dad, what happened?"

"Nathan, calm down," Dean placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder; he wasn't even aware that he was breathing so heavily, "You're brother's sick; so, we're going to go to his school to pick him up." Just by the look on Dean's face Nathan knew Noah had had a vision during school.

"Thanks for your help, Principal Williams. C'mon kiddo, let's go." Dean steered Nathan out of the office and to the car.

"What happened?" Nathan saw Sam sitting in the passenger seat of the Impala, so he sat in the back, "Dad, what happened?"

"The school called me and said Noah freaked out in class. I'm guessing he had a vision, so I figured it was best to get you to come with us because Noah will be able to calm down a lot faster with you here."

"Oh, God, drive faster." His brother was probably scared to death right now.

"Nathan, you have to calm down. If Noah sees you like this it will only make this worse, okay?" Sam could tell the kid was losing it from fear for his brother.

In no time at all, the Winchesters were pulling into the parking lot of Noah's school. They quickly exited the vehicle, and Dean placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder trying to convey that everything was going to be alright, that the kid was making a bigger deal out of the situation than there really was.

Dean walked up to the secretary's desk at the office and addressed the older woman sitting there, "Hello, I'm here to pick up my son, Noah Winchester."

"Oh, yes, he's waiting in the principle's office. I'll let him know you're here." She left the room and went down the hall to notify the principle, and returned a few minutes later. "Follow me; the boy has to stay here though."

Nathan gave Dean a horrified look; Noah needed him, and Nathan wasn't going to let one old woman stop him from comforting his younger brother. Dean saw Nathan's horror and realized there was no keeping the boy from entering the office. Dean knew that if he was in Nathan's place he would be acting the same way, "Ma'am, he needs to be in there. If I know Noah, and I do, he is probably scared and he needs his big brother." Dean ordered without actually ordering anything. He knew the woman wasn't going to be able to get her way; Dean was a very intimidating man when he needed to be.

The secretary glared at Dean for a few seconds before answering, "Fine, but he has to behave himself."

"He always does ma'am." He squeezed Nathan's shoulder before giving him a slight push toward the secretary.

Nathan was tense; Dean could feel it through the small amount of physical contact he kept on the boy's shoulder. He just hoped Nathan would keep his cool around his brother, but Nathan was usually more than capable of keeping up an appearance around the young boy. He had more than enough practice during the terrible years they lived with Mike.

Dean walked into the principle's office when the secretary announced their arrival and saw the principle working diligently at the desk while Noah was huddled on a chair in the corner of the room. He was rocking back and forth, tears streaming down his face. He fearfully looked up when he heard the door open and ran straight into the arms of his brother. Nathan looked at Dean with wide eyes while Noah began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Mr. Winchester-" The principle began, but Noah's tears drowned him out, he was mumbling something unintelligible.

"What is it Noah? What happened?" Dean placed a tender hair on Noah's head. Nathan tightened his arms when he felt Noah's trembling increase significantly.

"Mr. Winchester, we really need to talk about you son."

"Just chill for a minute, okay? I need to figure out why my son is terrified." Dean turned back toward Noah, "Noah, kiddo, why don't you try to calm down for a minute and tell us what's wrong."

It took a few minutes before Noah's crying slowed enough for him to respond to Dean's question. When he did finally speak, he spoke two words that froze Nathan with fear, "Uncle Jack."

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**REMEMBER: I LOVE REVIEWS! I swear, next chapter I will try to have up soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Mr. Winchester, what is your son talking about?"

"Nothing, he's just scared and confused," Dean rubbed a hand on Noah's back, trying to calm him down. He was confused about what Noah had said. He had no idea the boys even had an uncle, but they'd talk about it once they were clear of the school. "So, what exactly happened, today?" Dean asked the principle.

"Well, according to his teacher, Noah was dozing off in class when he suddenly began crying and shaking as he is now." The principle looked at Dean like everything was his fault.

"And then what?" Dean asked.

"We brought him here and called you. We asked him what was wrong and he wouldn't answer so we left him alone. Your son has some serious behavioral issues, Mr. Winchester. If he's acting out this badly, it's obvious he needs more discipline." Now this man had gone too far, Dean was enraged he would even think Noah had behavioral issues. The kid was scared to death of getting into trouble.

"No, he doesn't have behavioral issues. I told you people about what happened to him; Of course he's going to be scared, and you just drag him into the office without taking into consideration how he's acting." Dean couldn't believe that this moron was a principle.

"He was disrupting the class, Mr. Winchester. He's probably acting out because he wants the attention. He needs discipline."

"This is fucking ridiculous. Nathan grab you brother, we're getting out of here," Nathan stood up and pulled Noah up with him.

"Mr. Winchester, we need to have a serious talk about your son," the principle stood up to meet Dean at the door.

"Yeah," Dean huffed and shook his head, "I'll be in touch."

Dean followed the two boys out the room. He noticed Nathan struggling with carrying Noah, "Here let me get him." He reached over and pulled Noah into his arms. Dean saw that Nathan looked paler than usual. He didn't say anything about it as he placed Noah in the car.

"Everything alright?" Sam asked when he saw the three returning.

"I'll explain everything when we get home." Sam wanted answers, but kept his mouth shut at the tone of Dean's voice. He looked at the boys in the back seat and saw Noah slid over and leaned into his older brother when Nathan sat in the car.

The drive home was silent and tense. As soon as the Impala's engine cut off, Dean got out of the car and opened the back door, pulling Noah, who was now asleep, into his grip. Nathan walked silently beside Sam, following Dean into the house.

"Go sit on the couch," Dean told Nathan after he unlocked the front door. "I'll be back down after I put Noah in bed." Dean quietly made his left the living room and made his way to the stairs, being careful not to wake the nine-year-old. Dean knew how disoriented and afraid the visions made the kid, and he hoped a few hours of sleep would lessen the severity of the symptoms.

Nathan still looked extremely pale, sweat glistening from his forehead. Sam could see the teen shivering, most likely from fear, and he moved over to place an arm around Nathan's shoulders, pulling him into a hug. "How you holding up, kiddo?"

Nathan shrugged his shoulders before laying his head on Sam's chest and asking, "Why can't it all just go away?"

"It'll get better, Nathan. Just try not to worry about it too much. Let Dean and me handle everything."

After that, the two just sat in silence, waiting for Dean to reappear and begin his interrogation of Nathan and Noah's past. Nathan didn't want to talk about this again. He had tried so hard to push all those memories into the smallest, darkest corner of his mind. Sure he still had nightmares about what had happened, but living a normal life was getting easier day by day. Just the very mention of Uncle Jack brought a torrent of horrific emotions and memories back that were slowly wearing him down. And to think, not too long ago he was in school, sitting in class with not a care in the world besides trying to figure out what to say next to his fun, beautiful neighbor.

Nathan was roused from his memories when he heard Dean making his way down the stairs. Nathan didn't move from the comfort Sam provided and didn't look up as he heard the scratching of a wood against wood as Dean pulled an armchair near to where Nathan and Sam were sitting on the couch. Dean lightly placed a hand on Nathan's knee, knowing these next few hours were going to be tough before vocally acknowledging the kid. "Nathan," Nathan still didn't move. He really didn't want to do this right now, "Nathan, c'mon kid, look at me."

The heartbroken look in Nathan's eyes broke Dean's heart. Dean didn't want to force the unwelcome memories back into Nathan's life, but he had no choice. Sam and he needed to know about this guy if they were going to be able to protect the boys from them. Besides, Nathan always seemed to get a tiny bit better whenever he talked about his father, maybe talking about this chapter in his life would further help him.

"Nathan, you have to tell us about this Uncle Jack fellow."

"I know, I just-" Nathan had to stop and gather himself for a minute. The time Jack had spent with his family created some of the darkest moments in his life.

"I'm right here for you; Sam's right here for you." Sam tightened the grip he had on the kid's shoulder, while Dean moved closer to Nathan.

"He's Mike's brother; he's a hunter too. A few years after our mom died he came to live with us. He played a large role in my training."

"When was the last time you two have seen him?" Dean asked.

"He left two years ago. We haven't seen him since," Dean could tell Nathan was avoiding something. He kept looking at the ground, his eyes flitting nervously between Dean and the floor.

"Did he used to hurt the two of you too?" Sam asked. Nathan bit his lower lip as if trying to decide whether to continue pushing the memories back or to break down completely and talk about everything; but he just couldn't do it, it hurt too badly.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Nathan suddenly stood up and began walking away from the couch.

"Nathan," Dean stood up to follow the boy, "come back here. We need to finish this conversation."

"No, I don't want to." Nathan continued his walk to the staircase.

"Nathan," Dean quickly caught up to him and firmly pulled him around, "Nathan, look at me. You have to tell us what happened."

"Please," Dean almost broke down himself at Nathan's pleading. He looked so lost. "Please, I don't want to. It hurts too much." Dean pulled Nathan to him and wrapped him in a tight embrace.

"Nathan, please. We have to know why he left. It might help us."

"No it won't," Nathan pushed Dean away, but continued to keep a tight grip on Dean's shirt. "It won't help. I know what happened and it won't help!" Dean would hate him if he knew what had happened.

"Nathan, I love you and nothing that happened in your past is going to change that. You know you can tell me anything. Please, just talk to us."

"Dad, please." Nathan looked at Dean in desperation; this was just one part of his past he had no desire to talk about. It had happened, Nathan recognized that, and once he had he tried his hardest to forget about it.

"Nathan." He pulled the boy close again and he felt Nathan hold onto him like a lifeline. What had happened in Nathan's life to make things this bad? He was always able to talk about things to Dean before, but this time Nathan seemed completely broken. Sam was watching the scene, not knowing what to do to help either of them. So, he just watched and held his breath in preparation for whatever was going to happen.

"Come sit down, kiddo." Dean pulled him to the couch and sat him down between him and Sam. "Nathan, just take your time and tell us."

Nathan knew he had to tell Sam and Dean; they wouldn't stop bothering him otherwise. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before he began.

"Jack came to live with us when I was twelve. Mike was really busy with a hunt he was on, so he asked Jack to watch us and to be in charge of my training. He was so mean," Dean could see the tears beginning to fall down Nathan's face. "With Mike, at least he had a reason to be angry, but Jack was…anything we did wrong we got punished. If Noah spilled a glass of milk or we were being too loud, even if we just got in the way, it was like nothing was ever good enough. No matter what we did it never stopped, no matter how hard we tried…I tried to protect him, I did. Mike believed everything Jack said and just let him do whatever he wanted to us. I tried…please believe me. I did all I could, but they were so strong." Dean pulled Nathan close to him again as he began to sob. Sam ran a hand over his face before leaning over to put a hand on Nathan's back.

"Nathan, we know you'd always try your hardest to protect your brother. And just to remind you, Mike had no right to do what he did to you and Noah," Sam said as Dean whispered words of comfort to the teen.

"It's just, Noah was always so scared, and he didn't know what he was doing wrong. I mean he was only six years old and I couldn't tell him how to not get hit because Jack didn't care."

"I know kiddo. You did nothing wrong." Dean pushed Nathan away from him so as to better be able to look him in the eyes. "None of this was your fault, okay? Are you okay now?" Nathan nodded while Dean reached over a wiped the tears from his face.

"Now, why hasn't Mike seen his brother in a year? What happened to make him leave?" Nathan averted his eyes again. This was the part he was dreading. "Breathe slowly, Nathan." Nathan hadn't even realized he was panicky g until Dean said something. "Calm down and breathe. You're fine."

"I went on a hunt with Jack," Nathan simply began, he knew Dean was going to hate him either way. Sam and Dean just watched and listen to Nathan's story, "Everything was fine until we got back to the house. Mike left a note saying he took Noah to get some food. I set the bag of weapons on the kitchen table and walked over to the fridge to get a drink, but Jack saw me moving and he pushed me into a corner of the room." Nathan was staring at nothing, his lower lip trembling as he told his story.

"I didn't know what to do. It was like he had gone crazy. One minute, he had me by the throat, I could barely breathe; then the next, he was undoing my pants." He couldn't force himself to look at Dean's reaction.

"Oh God, Nathan," Dean placed a hand on Nathan's head, but the boy still wouldn't look up. "What did he do to you?"

"He really didn't get a chance to do anything. I mean, he touched me, but Mike walked in and saw him and flipped out." Sam glanced at Dean, anxiety shown on both their faces. "He beat the shit out of Jack before kicking him out forbidding him to come near us again. You know, after the happened, for the briefest of moments, I thought my Dad was back. Maybe he cared enough to protect me, but as soon as Jack was gone he turned to me and said, 'Boy, zipper your pants up, wipe those tears, and get the hell out of my sight!' He didn't care; he just didn't want his son to be seen like that. God, he couldn't even look at me." Nathan's tears began afresh, and Dean was too shocked to do anything but hold him. "You hate me don't you? You don't want me to be your son anymore, right? Now, you can see how weak I am. I couldn't get him fucking off me, even when he was doing that."

"Nathan, I could never hate you. That wasn't your fault. You were just a kid and he forced you to do it. You're so brave for dealing with what you dealt with for so long. God, I'm so proud of you for how well you're doing now, even with what happened in your past. Your Uncle Sam and I are both proud of you kiddo."

"Dad," Nathan simply said before surrendering once more to Dean's protective and loving embrace. It offered all the warmth he missed for most of his life. Nathan felt Sam place a hand on his head and finally realized that they didn't hate him for what had happened, they loved him and would always protect him.

Nathan eventually cried himself to sleep, so Dean laid him on the couch and covered him with a blanket, allowing the boy to rest after the exhausting day. Dean knew Nathan was traumatized. Yes, the kid had made a lot of progress, but he just looked broken. He was too young and too good of a kid to have gone through what he'd been through. Dean just sat there stroking Nathan's hair, taking a few minutes to let the realization sink in before turning to his brother.

"What the fuck man? I mean, damn it, you don't do that to anyone, let alone a twelve year old boy." He stood up and led the way to the kitchen.

"Dean, he might need to see someone, like a shrink or something. This is too much for either of us to handle. Physical and emotional abuse is one thing, but sexual, that's a whole other ball field."

"No, shrinks will just complicate things. He just needs us, alright? Nathan's already made a huge improvement, this doesn't change anything."

Sam looked at Dean with pity. "Alright, man, whatever you say."

And that was the end of the conversation. Sam and Dean just sat at the kitchen table mulling over all they had found out and wondering out they were going fix things.

**Anyways, I'm putting a poll up on my profile…it'll be up for 2 weeks. PLEASE TAKE THE POLL. It's about whether or not I should start a new story while writing this one. Thanks! Hope you enjoyed the chapter…poor Nathan by the way…I'm sorry for putting him through all this stress, but what can you do. **

**PLEASE REVIEW THE CHAPTER!! THEY ARE MUCH LOVED!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Sam and Dean didn't know what to do. Nathan and Noah had stayed home from school the day after the vision, but they weren't sure if they wanted to send Noah back to school. The way the principal had handled the entire situation bothered the Winchesters. To leave a nine-year-old boy who had been through enough trauma in his life to his own defenses when he had obviously been in pain and in unspeakable terror at what had happened infuriated the Winchesters. Dean had set up a meeting with the principal and the school administrators to discuss what had happened. He had also talked to Nathan's principal when he called him off and she had offered to come along to the meeting. Principal Williams had asked how they were doing because Nathan was sent home the day before; after hearing what had happened, she was enraged and offered her help. Dean thought it would be good to have another school official at the meeting to help defend his case. Dean just hoped it would go alright for Noah's sake.

Ever since the vision, Noah had reverted back to his quiet, timid self; he was constantly clinging to his older brother like he used to. Something about this particular vision had greatly affected him, and neither of the boys would discuss anything from the time Uncle Jack had spent with them. Seeing what would take place at the meeting the following day, Sam and Dean had decided to plan a relaxing day for the boys to take their minds away from everything. So, the family was packed into the Impala, heading to Bobby's house to pick up the boys' new puppy.

"We almost there?" Noah asked for the umpteenth time, the anticipation of finally picking up the longed-for puppy helping the kid finally return to his old self.

"A few more minutes, kiddo." Dean's patience was running thin. This seemed like the millionth time Noah had asked if they were almost at Bobby's house and it was driving Dean mad. He now realized how John must have felt during the long road trips he dragged his boys on; but Noah was excited for once, and he wasn't about to dampen his spirit.

"Okay." Noah fell silent once more and leaned his head against his brother's shoulder, fingering Nathan's shirt to help pass the time. He closed his eyes for a minute and must have fallen asleep, for when he opened them again, the car was slowly traveling down Bobby's driveway. "Yay! We're here!"

The car came to a stop in front of the house and Sam got out and opened the backseat door. "Uncle Sam, c'mon let's go," Noah jumped up and down, yanking on Sam's jacket sleeve.

"Hold on, give us a few minutes to say hello to Bobby, then we can go pick out your dog." Noah looked a little dejected before nodding his head and reaching out a hand for Nathan to grasp. The elder brother willingly obliged to his brother's wish and followed Sam and Noah to Bobby's house.

"Hi, boys," the Winchesters returned the greeting as they waited for Dean to join them on the porch.

"Hey, Bobby," Dean embraced Bobby before turning to look at his boys. "So, ready to pick out your dog?"

"Yeah!" Noah began dragging Nathan to the barn.

"So, how are the boys doing?" Bobby asked Sam and Dean.

"Neither of them has said much about their 'Uncle Jack'; it seem like they're just trying to forget it. I mean I don't blame them. What kind of sick fuck does that to a kid?"

"God, why can't those poor boys get a break?" Bobby said shaking his head.

"I don't know. It's like every time they make a step forward they end up taking two steps backward; I guess we just have to keep helping them move on and forget about it," Sam said watching the boys enter unlatch and enter the stall that held the puppies.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, boys. They only need for you to be there for them. I think that's all you can do."

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say, Bobby. You don't have nine-year-old that has terrifying visions and a fifteen-teen-year old that who's been traumatized from his father."  
"True, but I did take care of you boys an awful lot."

"What are you talking about? We were awesome kids." Dean questioned Bobby with a disbelieving look on his face.

"Yeah, between Sam tearing through every book that I own and you either disassembling all of my vehicles or shooting anything that looked like a target, yeah you were a piece of cake. Oh, and don't get me started on those damn prank wars."

Sam chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Whatever old man; you just couldn't handle us." Dean ended the conversation by walking over to the boys and bending down beside Noah who was sitting on the floor holding one of the puppies.

"So, kid, decide which one you wanted?"

"Yeah, this one," he pointed to the puppy curled in his lap.

"That one, huh? Do you think he's good enough to be a member of the Winchester family?"

"Yeah, he's really mean and ferocious."

"Is that right?" Dean lifted up puppy who stared at Dean for a short moment before licking him on the face. "Oh yeah, very ferocious," Nathan joined in the laughter as Dean wiped the sticky dog saliva from his face. "So, what's his name going to be?"

"I dunno yet. Maybe we could name him Zeppelin." Noah looked between Dean and Nathan for their approval.

Sam and Bobby took this moment to walk over and join the conversation.

"Good God, you two really are turning into Dean's sons," Sam said in response to Noah's suggestion for the dog's name.

"Well, I like it." Dean gave Noah an approving look, "So, ready to take Zeppelin home?"

"Can we take him to the park first?" Noah asked.

"Yeah, I think we can do that. Go ahead and put his collar and leash on and we can get out of here." Dean handed Nathan the dog's spiked collar the boys had picked out earlier that day.

Noah stood up and tried to pick the growing puppy up, but the weight was proving too difficult for the boy to handle, "He got big," Noah said.

"Do you want me to get him for you?" Nathan asked with an amused look on his face.

"Yeah." Nathan bent down and easily lifted the dog into his arms. Zeppelin wiggled a bit before settling down and relaxing in Nathan's grasp.

"Boys, what do you say to Bobby?" Sam looked at the two boys.

"Thanks for the dog, Bobby."

"Thanks," Nathan ran over and wrapped his arms around Bobby's waist.

"No problem, kiddo. Now, make sure you take care of that dog," he said motioning to the puppy.

"We will! C'mon Nathan, let's go to the car," Noah grasped Nathan's shirt sleeve and began dragging him out of the barn.

"Thanks again, Bobby," Dean told the older man as they also left the barn. Bobby slid the doors shut as Dean continued, "I think it'll really help the boys move on from everything."

"Seriously guys, it was no big deal; just make sure you keep looking after those boys and keep in touch, and if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

"We will Bobby. See you later," Sam said as he got into the car.

"Bye, boys," Bobby yelled at the open car window. The boys waved at Bobby then returned their attention back to the dog that was sniffing the interior of the Impala.

"If that dog craps in my car, he's riding in the trunk," Dean said as he sat down and started the engine causing the boys to erupt in laughter.

***

"Come and get it!" Nathan yelled as he dribbled the soccer ball between Dean's legs and ran away from him.

"Damn, when did you get so good at this game?" he ran faster to catch up to Nathan.

"Maybe I'm not getting better; maybe you're just getting old and fat." Nathan joked. Dean couldn't remember one time over the past few days when Nathan cracked a joke. Maybe things would get better from here.

"Oh yeah, let's see how much longer you can keep that ball away from this old fart." Dean lengthened his stride and increased his speed as he fought to catch the teen.

While Dean and Nathan played, Sam and Noah were sitting on a patch of grass away from the clearing Dean and Nathan were playing watching the puppy investigate his new surroundings. Noah was completely entranced at Zeppelin's curiosity of the various foliage and wildlife. They had attempted to play a game of fetch with the dog, but the ball was completely ignored when a grasshopper suddenly took flight when the ball rolled over its current resting place. Zeppelin, in his young puppy mind, decided to try and investigate the strange jumping creature and Noah thought this was the greatest show on the world.

"Gotcha!" Dean had finally caught up with Nathan, and in a wild effort to gain control of the ball kicked it into the woods.

"Good job, Dad," Nathan said sarcastically as he looked at Dean's pleased face. "Go get it," Nathan said as Dean just stood there.

"You go get it."

"You kicked it into there."

"I'm the oldest and I'm your father and I say you get it."

"Are you kidding me?" Nathan frustratingly asked.

"Nope, I ain't moving," Nathan huffed, "I'll time you, let's see how fast you can get it," he teased the boy.

"Dude, I'm not six," Leaving Dean's laughing behind, Nathan set off at a slight jog to retrieve the ball.

Nathan pushed through the bushes, being carefully not to get caught up in any of the thorn bushes. He maneuvered through the brush, keeping an eye out for the black and white checkered ball. Seeing something that looked suspiciously like the lost item, Nathan quickly walked deeper into the woods. He bent down to pick up the ball when he noticed a shadow creep into that of the balls.

'What the hell?' he thought. Nathan immediately stood up to face whatever had come up to him, but abruptly moved back when he saw who was with him.

Nathan was frozen to the spot, heart beating rapidly and panting in fear as he faced someone he had hoped and prayed he would never see again.

**Sorry it's short. I wanted to get a chapter out and this seemed like a good cliffhanger point. I'm getting a little bored with this story…I don't really know why. It would be great and really helpful if you guys reviewed and let me know what you think of this story…likes/dislikes/anything, and if you want me to continue with the story. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Hello, Nathaniel." Nathan's stomach dropped, his heart was pounding and the fear immediately dried his throat.

"Uncle Jack." Nathan took a few steps back, but a tree halted his retreat to freedom. He was scared to death and had no idea what to do. Should he yell for help or make a run for it? Jack was a smart man, and strong too, he'd be able to catch up with him before Nathan made it to the edge of the clearing. Nathan quickly decided that his best option would be to stay and hope to God someone came looking for him.

Jack, the younger of the two Carmichael brothers was also shorter in size, but thicker in bulk. He had short brown hair and small beady eyes that held no compassion. Whereas Matt was not always an evil and sadistic man, Jack always held an air of contempt and repulsion for everyone and everything in his life.

"How've you been Nathan? You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you don't look very pleased to see your old uncle. You made your daddy real angry leaving him like you did." Jack's calm and sickly sweet voice was just his brutal way of playing with those less powerful than he.

Nathan tried to calm himself; tried to ready himself for anything his uncle might do to him. Jack was an extremely erratic man. His moods and actions changed within seconds and Nathan never knew how his uncle would react in certain situations.

"So, boy, how are you likening the Winchesters?" Nathan knew Jack was trying to provoke him, trying to find a reason to hurt him.

Nathan realized he was holding his breath waiting for the worst. He was able to take a small breath and speak since he first saw his uncle. "Uncle Jack, please just leave us alone."

"YOU DIDN'T ANSWER ME!" Nathan jumped and jerked back at the anger in Jack's voice, but found his motion stopped by the tree. Without warning Jack reached a hand up and gripped Nathan's chin forcefully pulling the boy's face in his direction. "Do you remember what happens when you don't answer your superiors?"

"Yes, sir," Nathan answered in a small voice, daring himself to look into his uncle's cold, black eyes. He was too afraid to react to his uncle's touch even though the rough callused fingers sent chills down his spine, a completely different reaction as to Dean's caring ones.

This was the first time since seeing his uncle that Nathan had thought of Dean waiting in a field not a hundred feet from where he was, huddled against a tree. He only hoped that Dean would soon realize something was wrong and come looking for him.

"Good," Jack roughly released Nathan's chin, "I'm glad all my effort hasn't been a complete waste of time. Do you want to try this again? How do you like the Winchesters?" Jack spit out the last sentence with as much malice and contempt as was possible.

"I like them," Nathan quietly said.

"Huh?" Jack smacked Nathan across the face, not enough to strike him to the ground, but enough to leave an angry red mark in its wake. "Speak up boy."

"I like them," Nathan said a little louder. The hit had awoken unwanted memories from the back of his mind and brought tears to his eyes.

"Oh, you like them do you?" Jack taunted Nathan, one of his old favorite past times, making the boy feel worthless, breaking him down little by little. "I bet they take real good care of you. They treat you right and don't smack ya around. I bet little Noah's real happy too, huh? Is the little shit talking yet? You broke him real good that one night. A better job I could've ever done." Nathan looked up, anger in his eyes. Jack had no right to talk about that night.

"Ah, that got a rise out of you did it?"

"Leave us alone," Nathan's protective side sparked something in him, giving him a small amount of courage to fight for what his brother and he finally had after years of pain, a family that actually cared for them.

"You know, I don't think I'm ready to," Jack grasped Nathan's collar and threw him into the tree. Nathan's breath was forced out and he desperately tried to release himself from his uncle's grip, but Jack's hold was unyielding. Opening his mouth to finally yell for help, Nathan began panicking when he couldn't draw enough breath into his lungs to utter a word. Jack leaned in close to Nathan, drowning the terrified boy with his hot, sticky breath.

"Stop," Nathan finally gasped out. He was trying to wriggle out of Jack's iron grip, but the older man shoved Nathan harder into the tree in return. Nathan could feel the bark from the tree falling off as his back grazed against it.

"HEY!" Jack immediately dropped Nathan at the sound of Dean's angry voice. "Leave my son alone, asshole!"

Dean took one look at the fear and pain on Nathan's face and charged the man, knocking him to the ground. "Who are you?" he commanded to know.

"Dean!" Sam came running into the woods, puppy in one hand, Noah in the other. Noah took one look at the man Dean had pinned to the ground and began clawing at Sam, horror overtaking him and only wanting to be picked up. Nathan felt a stab of jealousy when he saw Noah turn to Sam for comfort and protection, though Sam would be better able to protect his brother from Jack than he could.

"Why don't you ask the boy? He seems to recognize me." Dean took a second to look up at his family. Noah's face was buried in Sam's shoulder; the latter was frozen with shock as he recognized who the man was. Nathan was just standing there shaking from the traumatic experience.

"You son-of-a-bitch," Dean said, finally realizing who the man was, "You sick fuck. How could you do that to two innocent boys?"

"It was easy; they deserved everything they god, and watching Nathan break that boy was so much fun to do," Jack replied with a sneer.

"They didn't deserve that. You put them through hell every day!" And with that Dean began a relentless attack against Jack.

"Stop!" Nathan yelled when he saw Noah bury himself deeper into Sam's embrace.

"What they hell are you talking about?" Both Winchesters were confused not only at what Jack was saying, but also to how the boys were reacting to it.

"Why don't you ask him? That boy there," Jack pointed at Nathan, "ain't as innocent as you think. He's as bad as me and his old man if you want to think of it that way."

"He is ten times the men you two will ever be, and I am sick and tired of both of you hurting my sons," and with that said, Dean attacked Jack.

Nathan remained frozen in the same spot when Dean began punching, but every time Dean's fist hit flesh it reminded Nathan of his old life, and he jumped from the familiar sound.

Really looking at the two men on the ground for the first time since Dean had appeared, Nathan realized Dean was slowly beating his uncle to death; and although he hated Jack with every ounce of his being, he couldn't stand there and watch his father, the man he now looked up to, kill him.

"Dad," Nathan quietly said walking a few steps towards Dean who gave no sign that he heard the boy. "Dad." this time Nathan walked over to his father, placing a hand on Dean's shoulder.

Dean hesitated at Nathan's touch and looked up at his son, his face covered with tears and a red mark on his cheek.

"Dad, please stop," Jack was now unconscious, but his chest continued to move up and down even though it was slow and weak. "Dad, please. I wanna go home." A few tears forced themselves from his eyes. "Please, leave him. I just wanna go."

Dean's heart broke at look on Nathan's face, at his pleading to be taken home, and then it hit him. He had failed to protect his boy. He had promised Nathan numerous times that he would never be hurt again, and he had failed him.

Looking down at Jack who was now unconscious, Dean decided to leave the guy like he was, a bloodied mess; killing him now wouldn't help erase all the bad memories the boys had of him.

Dean stood up and cautiously walked to Nathan who was staring at Jack's body, tremors periodically running through his own body.

"Nathan, are you okay? How bad did he hurt you?" Dean had his hands on Nathan's shoulders trying to see the boy's eyes. He saw the bruise beginning to blossom on Nathan's cheek and lightly touched the mark.

"I'm fine, can we just go now?" Nathan said pulling his face away from Dean's hand and finally glancing at Dean, a depressed look in his eyes.

"Yeah, sure kiddo," Dean pulled his boy closer to him and led the way out of the woods.

***

"Hey, Noah, how're you doing over there?" Dean asked his youngest son who was still sitting in Sam's lap. The boy had refused to leave his uncle's arms when they returned to the car. Noah just shrugged in return and continued staring off into space, lost in his memories. "Don't you want to ride in the back with your brother? I'm sure him and Zeppelin could use some company." Noah made no response besides hiding his face in the folds of Sam's jacket.

Dean looked in the rearview mirror at Nathan and saw his eyes shut and jaw clench when he witnessed his brother's refusal.

"I'll take him up to bed," Sam said when the car finally pulled into the driveway; Noah had fallen asleep sometime during the trip home.

"Alright," Dean opened Nathan's door and grabbed Zeppelin's leash, also placing a hand on Nathan's shoulder and leading him to the house. Still shaken himself about how the boys' uncle had found them, Dean made sure all the doors were locked and the alarm system was set after they entered the house.

After Sam walked up the stairs Dean turned towards Nathan who was sitting forlornly on the couch. Dean walked over and sat beside his son, "What all hurts."

Nathan wearily looked up at his father, "My back hurts a little, but it's not too bad."

"Take your shirt off; let me see." Nathan obediently acquiesced and gingerly pulled his shirt off. Dean gently pulled him sideways so he could better see the damage. "Okay, hold on, I'm just gonna grab a washcloth."

Dean quickly returned and cleaned the boy as best as he could before returning Nathan his shirt. "So, you wanna tell me what that son-of-a-bitch was talking about back there?" Dean questioned Nathan whose eyes were still on the ground.

It took Nathan a few moments to answer. "I did something terrible. Dad, why did we have to grow up that way? Why'd it have to be us?" His eyes had begun filling with tears, "It was so awful. He'll never forgive me."

"Okay, calm down," Dean pulled Nathan into his arms. "Why don't you tell me what happened."

"No, I can't. I don't want you to hate me," he sobbed.

"Nathan," Dean was really worried now. His own eyes were filling with tears. What the hell could've happened now to make Nathan think lie that? "I could never, ever hate you. So, stop thinking like that."

"No, I can't…I can't." Nathan's sobbing eventually caused him to fall asleep, exhausted and defeated. Dean carried him to bed and lay down next to him, hoping in the morning Nathan would finally be up to talking.

**I really liked writing this chapter, so I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Please review so I can get some feedback! Also, thanks for everyone who reviewed before. I really appreciate it and will be continuing the story since I received so much positive reviews for it. **


	10. Chapter 10

**LONGEST CHAPTER YET! Oh, and Nathan and Noah's father's name is Matt. When I first began writing the stories I was going to call him Mike, so if I write too quickly I will sometimes put Mike instead of Matt. I apologize for this.**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 10**

Dean awoke during the night to Nathan violently twitching and shaking in bed. Sometime shortly after he had taken Nathan to bed, Dean had fallen asleep, one arm wrapped around the boy's torso, the other resting on his head. Sam had promised to keep a close eye on Noah throughout the night and had left after Nathan's breakdown. But now, Dean needed his brother. He didn't know whether the boy was suffering from a particularly terrifying nightmare or something worse.

"Nathan!" Dean sat up and tried to rouse the boy from whatever was afflicting him, "Sam!"

Sam ran into the room and quickly moved to the bed when he saw what was happening. "Dean, what the hell's going on?"

"I dunno, just help me would ya! Nathan, wake up kiddo!"

"No, no, no!" Dean's order was slowly pulling the teen from his nightmare, "No, please don't make me!" Nathan's back arched away from an unseen force, his eyes clenched tight in fear and pain.

"Nathan, you're safe. Calm down and open your eyes for me. You're really starting to worry me kiddo." Dean gently cupped the boy's head which was flailing back and forth and rubbed circles on his cheeks in a comforting manner.

"No, don't," Nathan sobbed, "don't make me. Sorry, Noah. Sorry."

Dean pulled Nathan up and cradled him to his chest, resting Nathan's head on his shoulder. Nathan buried his head still deeper, now awake from the dream, and he held onto Dean as tightly as he could, afraid that his new father would be disgusted by what he had done and leave him, taking Noah with him. Nathan didn't know what he would do if they abandoned him, leaving him to his own defenses. What would he do? He had no where to go, and he would die without his brother. Nathan sobbed even harder at this thought…what would he do?

"Okay, okay, calm down," Dean gently directed in Nathan's ear. Sam place a comforting hand on the boy's back, not knowing what else to do, "Deep breaths; in and out."

Very slowly, Nathan obeyed. It took all his effort to not begin the sob-fest all over again. Eventually, his crying ceased, but he continued to hide his face in Dean's shoulder, unable to face the two men he most admired, but also feared.

It was like hero-worship. Of course he considered Sam and Dean his family, but he also feared their disappointment in him. Nathan knew it had yet to happen, but when they finally said those four words, "I'm disappointed in you," Nathan knew he would die. It would hurt worse than his father's most brutal punishments, except for one. That one time… Nathan shuddered at the memories.

He knew when he described the incident to Dean and Sam, those words would be said, and although he was already disappointed in himself, those looks on his new family's faces would tear through his very core and destroy all the confidence he had gained in the past few months.

"Nathan," Dean started as he continued to run a hand through Nathan's hair.

"No, I don't want to tell you."

"Why not, kiddo?"

"You're gonna hate me," he choked out.

Dean looked up at Sam, a pitying look on his face. This poor kid never got a break did he? "Nathan, I told you that you had no reason to be afraid of telling us anything. And believe me; we could never, ever hate you. Look at me, kiddo," Nathan leaned back, but refused to look Dean in the eyes, "Nathan, look at me please." Wearily, Nathan lifted his eyes and looked at Dean through the long, brown bangs that covered his forehead, "We could never hate you, and keeping this pain inside of you; it's going to kill you. Tell us what happened. It'll help, I swear to you it will."

Knowing that eventually Dean would force it out of him, Nathan decided to get it over with. He leaned into Dean's side, and roughly swallowed down the butterflies that landed heavily in his empty stomach. Dean once again wrapped his arms around the boy to offer his comfort, while Sam sat down on the bed and placed a hand on Nathan's thigh.

"Awhile ago, Jack took me on a hunt with him. It was a black dog. When we found it, it was attacking a young woman. We ended up getting rid of the dog easily, but it had already torn into the woman. She was still alive, and even though she was having trouble breathing, her eyes were still open. We ran over to her and she started begging us to take her to the hospital, but instead of trying to save her, Jack shot her. He just looked at her, and he shot her. How could he do that? She still had a chance, even if it was small. He told me it would have been a waste of time, and he burned their corpses."

This revelation shocked Sam and Dean. Even though Jack was a horrible child abuser, they never thought he would kill another human being. The entire reason to hunt was to save as many human innocent lives as was possible.

"After the corpses burned we packed everything in the truck. I was crying, still shocked at what he had done. He yelled at me the whole way home, threatening a beating if I didn't stop. I tried, but I just couldn't get that woman's face out of my head.

"We got home, and he grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. He took me straight over to Matt and threw me on the ground. Jack told Matt what happened and he just flipped out. He began beating the shit out of me. Noah was huddling in the corner, and then, I dunno what happened. It was like he saw what was happening and couldn't handle it anymore, and he just charged Matt.

"Matt was furious. He grabbed him by the hair and started yelling how he was tired of our disobedience and how we needed to grow up and stop acting like children. Noah was so scared, and I tried to get him, but Jack pulled my arms behind my back and held me against him. Matt tore Noah's shirt off of him and threw him facedown on the sofa and told him if he moved he'd kill him. Noah was too terrified to do anything. He was too young and afraid to do anything but lie there. Matt turned to me and told me it was time for me to learn to be a man." At this point, Nathan began to lose it again. What happened had been so terrible, and it had eaten him up for months. He couldn't relive it; it was too hard to deal with.

"C'mon, Nathan. You're doing so great. Just keep talking to us, kiddo," Dean reassured the boy, all the while continuing to wonder what happened next, now that he was so close to finding out the real story.

"God, it was so terrible."

"Deep breaths, Nathan. Just calm down and start again whenever you're ready." Dean watched Nathan trying to control his emotions. He saw the boy take a few ragged breaths and wipe the tears off his face; though as soon as those were gone, a few more fell from his eyes.

"Jack let me go, and he had a strange smirk on his face. I was so scared; I didn't know what was gonna happen. I mean with my dad and Jack together…" Nathan broke off at this point allowing Dean's and Sam's minds to imagine the possibilities of this statement.

"What happened, Nathan?" Dean pressed on.

"Matt took his belt off and placed it in my hands. It took me a few moments before I understood what he meant."

_"You give him twenty hits as hard as you can. It's time for you to act like a man. Believe me, I'll know if you're holding back boy," Matt glared at Nathan. _

_"What? No." Nathan tried giving the belt back to his father, he was shaking his head unable to comprehend what was happening. _

_"I will not tolerate your childishness anymore!" Matt rushed over and took Nathan's face roughly in his hands, "You will step up like a man and punish your brother, or I'll do it! There's no way to stop me, Nathan," Matt hissed, "Your brother is getting belted at some point tonight, and if I have to do it, it'll be forty strokes, and you of all people know how hard of hit I've got. So, what's your choice?"_

"I didn't know what to do. There was no way out of it. Jack and Matt were both there and we had no way of escaping. Matt was right though; he did hit harder, and physically Noah would have been in more pain if Matt hit him; but emotionally, I didn't know what he would feel like if I beat him. I didn't know if he'd ever trust me again. I knew he was listening, but he was just lying on the couch, not moving. It was like he was too terrified to do anything but breathe. I was hoping for some sort of reaction out of him, some way for him to show me that he wouldn't hate me if I hit him, but I got nothing from him."

Dean looked over at Sam wondering what he would've done in that situation. First of all, telling Nathan that beating your baby brother will help make you a man was ridiculous. Second, If John Winchester had placed a belt in his hand and forced him to choose between beating his baby brother or condemning him to a punishment twice as painful, Dean truly didn't know what he would've done. Which was worse: the physical pain or the emotional pain? That was an extremely difficult question. Bruises and welts will fade, but mental and emotional wounds were sometimes greater to heal from. It was unbelievable the amount of hurt those boys had gone through and were still trying to overcome.

"What did you do?" Dean softly asked.

Nathan lowered his head in shame, tears quickly falling from his eyes.

"He only ever gave either of us twenty strokes before, sometimes thirty if we got him on a bad night. Our backs would be bleeding at twenty because he hit so hard. Forty strokes, I couldn't even imagine what kind of condition that would've left him in."

"Oh, God," Dean leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. What had that monster done to his boys? A young boy being forced to beat the one person who's ever cared for him, that was hell. Dean couldn't even swallow the thought. He looked over at Sam and saw his brother looking down on the bed in complete shock. Nathan meanwhile had his face buried in his knees, his arms covering his head, agitatedly rocking in place, lost in the memory of that night and ashamed at what he had done.

_Stroke after stroke he laid on his baby brother's back. Both of the boys' frames were shaking from the effort of their sobs. Every hit drew a pained cry from his brother, his sweet, innocent baby brother, who he swore he'd protect from this very type of abuse. Nathan was feeling his own pain every time he picked up his arm to place one more painful stroke on Noah's already bruised and cut back. _

_"…Twenty…" Matt's voice rang out as he finished counting out Noah's punishment._

_Noah dropped the belt as soon as the belt hit Noah's back. He stood there panting; a mixture of sweat and tears covered his face. He felt his uncle wrap his rough arms around him and pull him backward. Nathan fell limp in the grasp until he saw his father reach over and roughly yank Noah up by his hair and pull him close._

_"Let him go!" Nathan yelled. _

_"Shut up!" Jack punched him in the side forcing all the air from Nathan's lungs. _

_"I bet your back hurts real bad doesn't it boy? Doesn't it?" Matt screamed at Noah when he received no reply in return. Noah only nodded his head. "You know why this happened? It was because you were disobedient and got in my way," Matt shook the boy. _

_"Let him go, please," Nathan sobbed, only getting another punch in the ribs in return. _

_"Your brother stepped up today and finally acted like a man. I didn't do anything this time. He punished you. He whipped you, and he'd do it again too," Matt hissed in Noah's ear as tears fell from the little boy's eyes._

_"Don't tell him that! Noah, don't listen to him. I would never hurt you. He made me, Noah!" Another punch, but Nathan couldn't feel it; he was too distressed by this point. _

_"You stupid shit! Man up to what you did," Matt threw Noah on the couch and walked over to his oldest son, tugging Nathan up so their faces were directly in front of one another. "You disgust me!" He violently pushed Nathan's face away and walked from the room, "Get the fuck out of my sight, both of you!" _

"He wouldn't look at me; he wouldn't let me touch him," Nathan took a deep breath attempting to control his emotions. "He cried himself to sleep for nights, and I couldn't do anything about it. He wouldn't speak and he barely ate. He was so depressed; I mean even though we were always abused, he'd smile and laugh when we were alone. He wouldn't even do that anymore. It wasn't until Matt went after him one night and I stepped in the way that he began trusting me again. It took weeks for us to get back to normal, but every once in a while he'd still look at me with a hint of caution in his eyes.

"You hate me don't you?" Nathan cried. "Noah. I would never hurt him on purpose, never. He was all I had until you two came. I'd do anything for him, I just…you hate me right? And I don't know how to fix this."

"Nathan, stop, just stop." Dean was overwhelmed. He had no idea how to even begin fixing this, "First of all, we do not hate you. We could never hate you. What your father made you do made you choose between, that was an impossible decision. I don't know what I would've done in that situation. You are so brave for what you did," Nathan looked down, not believing this statement, "You chose to do what was best for your little brother. You decided to protect him from your father's fury, even if it meant putting a slight bump in your relationship. He was too young at the time to understand what was happening and to fully understand the severity of the situation you were put into."

"But I hurt him," Nathan hung his head and Dean sighed in slight frustration wondering how to help the boy. He placed his own forehead on Nathan's head.

"You protected him in the long run, and he will forgive you. He'll come to understand that because he's your little brother and he'll love you no matter what." Sam joined the group, placing his hand on Nathan's head as the boy continued to cry.

"He wouldn't even come near me. He wouldn't let me protect him and comfort him. I don't know what to do anymore." Dean pulled the boy close.

"We'll make this better."

"You're a good kid you know that? Don't worry, you're brother will trust you again," Sam told him, finally speaking up.

Unexpectedly, a small sob was heard by the doorway. The three Winchesters looked over to see Noah peeking into the room, the infamous red sweatshirt making its reappearance in light of what happened that day. By the glare of the bedside lamp, Nathan could see the shine of tears on his brother's face.

Noah looked at his brother and ran as fast as he could, leaping onto the bed, and straight into Nathan's arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Nathan, just don't leave me," he cried gripping tightly to his brother mumbling off a string of apologies and pleas.

Nathan buried his face in his brother's hair, "I won't leave you. I'll always be here little brother," He looked up at Dean and Sam who both had small smiles on their faces, glad that the boys were on their way back to normal.

**For the love of God this is driving me insane! Please help me somebody. I want to know the name of the kid that plays four-year old Dean in the Pilot. I've looked everyone and I cannot find it. I really wanted to put photos on my page of how I pictured Nathan and Noah, and that kid is the perfect Noah. So, if you have any clue who that boy is…please let me know. I am going crazy. Also, if anyone has or wants to make any artwork or anything of this story, I will stick it on my page. I was just trying to figure out how to spruce it up…**

**ANYWAYS…I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. I'll try to update once or twice before I go on vacation in two weeks.I HEART REVIEWS SOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!! Even though I think I'd this point I would rather figure out who that kid is…I'm not a stalker I swear, I just really want to know…and now I'm rambling…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Noah clung to Nathan obsessively over the next two days. Dean thought perhaps Noah was trying to make up to his big brother for ever doubting him; or, it could be Noah was still petrified over the thought of Jack and Matt finding them. Maybe it was a mixture of both. Either way, neither boy would be seen without the other close by.

Finally, knowing the boys couldn't sit around the house waiting for their father to show up again, Sam confronted Dean and forced him to make the boys return to school. If Sam thought Dean was protective of them before, it was nowhere near how he acted now. Nathan's attack left Dean feeling guilty about not keeping his promise, and Dean was going to do everything in his power to make sure it never happened again. Dean was perfectly happy spending every minute of the day for the rest of his life with Nathan and Noah, but a small part of him knew it was necessary for the boys to return to school, return to the life they had made. They couldn't let their fear stop them from living their lives. Dean had to be the father, and although everything in his heart screamed to hold Nathan and Noah close and never let go, he knew in his heart the boys needed to get over this.

Sam had reassured Dean that the schools were safe. He told Dean they both could drive the boys to school like they did every day and Nathan and Noah would be protected by teachers and students and the security staff. No one could touch them in the confines of the school, and Dean could drive a half hour early to personally see the boys exit the buildings, just to let help reinsure him over the next few weeks that his boys were safe.

After much hushed fighting between the eldest Winchesters, Dean had finally agreed. So, after many tears and a tantrum like he had never seen from Noah, the boys had broken down realized nothing would sway their father's and uncle's decision. They would be going back to school tomorrow, and being away from each other for that long scared the crap out of them.

Nathan felt like they had never been closer to one another. He refused to even think of allowing his brother to fall back into the arms of Matt and Jack. If his brother and he weren't close before, they certainly were now. Now, it was like they were physically joined somewhere. Over the past few days, they had never once left each other, not once. Nathan was terrified of what would happen if he lost Noah. What would happen if someone Matt just took Noah and left? Nathan wouldn't know what he would do.

So, when he heard he'd have to go back to school, a school separate from Noah's, he panicked.

"Nathan, you'll be fine. Both of you will be. Sam and I won't let anything happen to you. We'll drop you off and school and pick you up. There's nothing to worry about," Dean had tried to comfort Nathan.

"I can't leave him. I won't let him get hurt again," Nathan had begged, "Please, Dad. Don't make us go."

"You can't stay here forever Nathan. You can't run and hide from this." Dean hated the look of rejection that suddenly appeared on Nathan's face. "Kid, I know you're scared, and I don't blame you for being afraid, but you have to try to live your life."

"What about homeschooling. Before we started you said that was an option." Nathan hoped this would help sway the conversation in his direction.

"Nathan, socializing is an extremely important part of growing up and you can get that at school. Now, I know you're scared, and you have every right to be, but you've never been hurt in school. Please don't let this one event stop you from living your life. Just give it another try, be brave so your brother will go too."

Nathan thought for a moment. He really didn't want to go, but Dean wanted him to so badly, and he wanted to make his father proud_. _So, Nathan swallowed his fears and persuaded not only himself, but his brother to return to school the next day.

The following morning, Nathan woke up and sighed, already feeling the butterflies forming. He looked over at the alarm clock and saw that he had a whole two minutes left to lie in bed. 'Figures,' Nathan thought. He got out of bed, noticed Dean was already awake, and went to get Noah up as well.

Morning was a solemn affair in the Winchester household. Any outsiders would have thought someone had died. No one was talking much. Sam and Dean knew both boys were anxious about returning to school and couldn't stomach their nerves enough to talk, but they did offer smiles of reassurance when the boys looked at them. Finally, the time came to leave the house. Dean waited until the very last minute to leave, but if they left any later they would be late.

The silence followed the family into the car and during the entire trip to the elementary school. Noah didn't say anything as he grabbed his backpack and left the car, only offering a small wave after shutting the Impala's door. Nathan looked far worse than Noah. After parking by the high school, Dean turned around to see the boy slightly trembling and looking at the building in horror. Dean saw Nathan take a huge breath before grabbing his own bag and leaving the car. Dean leaned over to say, "Don't worry, it'll be fine," before Nathan turned and walked away without the slightest glance behind him again. Dean looked at Sam silently conveying with his eyes that everything better be alright for those boys today and drove away from the school, leaving his sons to their own defenses.

***

Nathan walked to his classes, trying to ignore the stares he was getting; he was sure people were wondering why he hadn't been in school for so long. For the most part, he kept quiet. He got his make-up work from all the teachers and answered their questions in the shortest way possible. Nathan's nerves hadn't calmed down as the day went on; in fact, they were getting worse. He figured it was because he'd most likely see Abby today, and he really didn't know how he would explain the reason he was gone to her.

Sure enough, the next bend Nathan rounded he felt someone collide into him, pull him into a hug and yell, "Nathan, you're back!" When he was able to pull back, Nathan realized it was Abby and tried to calm his nerves.

"Where the heck have you been? How's your brother? I've been so worried about you!" Abby bombarded Nathan with questions.

"Hey, it's good to see you too, Abby," Nathan said.

"So, where have you been? Nobody's heard anything," Abby asked.

"My brother got really sick and passed it to me."

"That stinks. I bet you have a ton of work to get caught up on now that you're back. I would've grabbed your work, but the teachers wouldn't let me. They said only a relative could collect it."

"That's okay. It's no big deal really," Nathan started walking to his next class.

"Well, do you need help getting caught up? We're almost in the same classes; I could help you if you want. We could do it at my house or yours," she added seeing a look of fear flash through Nathan's eyes.

Nathan didn't know how to respond. He would need help with his schoolwork, a lot of work in fact, but the thought of brining a girl home, even if it was to work on homework was nerve-wracking. But, how was he ever going to get over his past? He had to start somewhere.

"Sure, that would be great, if you don't mind?"

"Yeah, I'd love to! Do you want to do it today after school?"

"Today works," Nathan replied.

"I'll meet you outside of the school then?"

"Sounds like a plan," Nathan said with a small smile.

"I'll see you later," Abby gave a little wave then turned around and went to her next class.

Nathan's smile turned into a scowl when he realized what he'd just down. 'Great, now I'm even more nervous then I've been all day,' he thought to himself. Huffing, Nathan slung his backpack on his shoulder and began walking to his next class, already worrying about the afternoon.

**I'm sorry this is SO late, SO short, and SO sucky, but I've been really into my new story "Growing Up Too Soon". Please read and review it, I think if you like this story you'll like the "Growing". It's a "Max's Childhood" with Sam, Dean, and Adam. Also, I will try really hard to update this story. I know it's kind of slow right now, but I promise in a chapter or two something really big is going to happen. Please review! BTW, I put a poll on my profile page about which story of mine you would like me to focus on. Please take it! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry, this story has basically been on hiatus since I started my new stories "Growing Up Too Soon" and "A Family Divided." I finally was able to find time to update. **

**Chapter 12**

Dean waited by the front of the school to pick up Nathan. He really hoped the boy had a decent day. He really did not need another thing to be worried about at the moment. Though, he was surprised to see Nathan walking out of the front doors with a girl attached to his hip. She was chatting excitedly to him and had grasped his arm as she talked. Dean was happy to see Nathan was not pulling away from her touch. Nathan looked Dean in the eye as they grew closer, silently begging his father not to embarrass him. Dean got out of the car and walked around to greet the pair.

"Hey, Dad, this is Abby. She lives across the street from us."

"Hi, Mr. Winchester," Abby reached out a hand.

"Call me, Dean. Mr. Winchester sounds like my father," Dean cringed.

"Sounds good, Dean," Abby said.

"Dad," Nathan cut in, "Abby offered to help catch me up on my work. Do you care if she comes over?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'll just drop you kids off at home before I go get your brother."

"'K, thanks, Dad."

The ride back to the house was spent with Dean and Abby talking and getting to know each other. Nathan tried not to think too much about the time he would spend alone with Abby. Too soon, Dean pulled the Impala up to the side of the road and waited as the two teenagers exited the car.

"I'll be back in a little bit. Make yourself at home, Abby."

"Thanks, Dean," Abby smiled. Dean winked at Nathan before turning the car around and heading to Noah's school.

"C'mon," Nathan led the way to the house. He pulled out his little silver key and unlocked the double bolted door before holding it open for Abby. He heard Zeppelin barking from his cage, "I have to let the puppy out, but we can just work out here," Nathan said as they walked into the living room. "Do you want anything to drink? We have soda and stuff."

"Sure," Abby nodded as she placed her bag on the couch, "I'll take a soda."

"Okay," Nathan went to the kitchen and put Zeppelin on his leash outside before going to get the drinks. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself before walking back out to the living room. It was easy enough to talk to Abby at school when everything was public and busy and their friends were there too, but by themselves, alone in a house? Nathan had never done this before. He was more than anxious to go out there again. But he thought about what his father would want him to do and summed up some Winchester courage and slowly made his way back to the living room. He saw Abby walking around the room looking at all the stuff.

"Your house is really nice," Abby said taking her drink. "There aren't any pictures of your family though."

"Oh," Nathan down at the ground, wondering what he should say.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Abby bit her lip in embarrassment, "Let's just get to work then."

"No, I mean, it's okay," Nathan sat on the couch motioning for Abby to follow him. When Abby was seated, Nathan turned to her, "It's just, Noah and I were adopted, just a few months ago, actually."

"Really?" Abby asked, "The way Dean asks with you makes it seem like he's been your father forever."

"Yeah, I know."

"So, why were you up for adoption?" Abby pried.

"Um –"

"Oh God!" Abby jumped up, "I'm so sorry. I'm prying again. Damn my need to know everything! I'm so sorry, Nathan." Abby went to grab her bag, "I'm just gonna leave."

"No, wait," Nathan said, gently grabbing Abby's arm, "It's okay. I just haven't really talked about this with anyone. But I feel like I can talk to you."

"Really?" Abby asked as she sat back down.

"Yeah, I do."

"I feel like that too," Nathan did not know how to reply, so he just sat looking at Abby, at her long brown hair and stunning eyes staring into his. "So," Abby interrupted, pulling Nathan from his trance, "why were you up for adoption?"

"Well," Nathan said, slowly starting. He really did not know if he could do this, but he continued anyway, "Noah and I were never really put up for adoption."

"What do you mean?" Abby questioned. She was confused about what Nathan was trying to say.

"A few months ago, Sam and Dean helped my biological dad on a job. That was the first time they met us. They found out that…" Nathan had to pause to catch his bearings.

"They found out what?" Abby wondered aloud.

"That my biological dad was abusing us," Nathan finally admitted. He looked down at his knees, unable to look Abby in the eyes to see her reaction.

"Are you serious?" Nathan looked up to see a shocked look on Abby's face. He slowly lifted his arm and drew back the sleeve displaying an array of burns from his father's cigarette butts. "Nathan, I'm sorry. That's horrible."

Nathan shrugged off his embarrassment. "It's okay. Dean and Sam found us and took us away, so it's no big deal really."

"No, it is a big deal Nathan," Abby put her hand on Nathan's knee, "Nobody should ever have to go through that."

Nathan looked down at her slender, comforting hand on his knee and froze, not knowing how to handle this situation. She was sincere and comforting, not pressing him for details or treating him like some fragile creature that could break at any moment, but as a real human being. He leaned closer to her, but before he had the chance to say anything, the front door slammed open and Noah bounded into the room.

"Nathan!" he yelled as he jumped into his big brother's arms.

"Hey, buddy," Nathan said. He moved away from Abby, the mood now ruined, as he embraced his brother in a hug. "How was your day?"

"Good," Noah turned, just realizing that Abby was sitting there, "who're you?" he asked.

"I'm Abby, and you must be Noah."

"Yep," Noah nodded his head up and down.

"Noah," Dean walked in, "why don't you go get that puppy of yours. I think he's outside."

"Zeppelin!" Noah yelled as he leapt from Nathan's lap and ran outside.

"Sorry kids. I'll try to distract the little guy for as long as possible," Dean said before following Noah.

"Your brother's cute," Abby told Nathan. "Not as cute as you though."

Nathan blushed before adding, "You're cute too."

Abby blushed in return, then leaned forward, smiling when she felt Nathan's lips touch hers, and Dean just shook his head as he watched the couple from the doorway before turning to give them some privacy, glad that for once, Nathan was getting the opportunity to act like a normal teenager.

**PLEASE READ: So, here's what's going on. I've kind of run out of ideas for this story. I thought about where I originally planned on going with it and have decided that I don't like that route. I've also, sadly, lost interest in the story because I've been completely obsessed with my new stories. Now, this can go one of three ways:**

**As much as I hate to do this, I would stop writing the story.**

**If someone was interested in helping me go over any possible directions I could go with the story, I would be willing to continue writing. I think getting excited about the plotline would drive me to completing the series. **

**Someone could take over the story for me. Now, I do love the characters of Nathan and Noah. They are like my babies. I just like how I've developed the characters in my other stories better. If people were interested, I would want a sample of their writing to help me decide if this would be a good route to take and if they would be able to handle the story, characters, and their relationships. Also, I would want to still be involved in the writing, including in the plot and reading the chapters before they are posted. **

**So, if anyone is interested in helping in any way, PLEASE CONTACT ME! Review the chapter or email me, and let me know your insight on this situation. Thanks. **


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